In many many ways Peter Sutch was the best and the worst.
When he really really needed all of us he gave away the world. This was definitely the start of an era when many thought they didn't need fragrance to clear the toilet smell.
At the time, the head of the AOA used his 'fish heads and rice' analogy when confronted with what he thought was an insulting payrise offer. And yes he was one of the recent claimants.
When the company wrote a cheque for HKD35m as a provident fund payout to someone who was earning a total package of USD 600k (including housing, C&T etc) there was a realisaton that things were a little bit out of control,especially when SQ was running a tech crew budget per capita of half ours. A time when 12 of the top 12 earners in CX were pilots.
No excuse for the behaviour but a little perspective is in order.
In some ways we ( the profession that is) bear some responsibility. Don't always look up for blame, sometimes look sideways.
This does not mean much to most of the current guys and gals but a little history can go a long way in the healing process.