Well, it's official.
Hawke is the most detested anthropod, or in his case,(arthropod), in pilot living memory.
Perhaps then the pilot body can unite and immortalise his character in song or poem.
It can be sung in flight decks and bars, in the shower and bar mitzvahs!
Sur Peter would like it too.

Dear Peter Chewb,
I spend a lot of time in China, Europe and have just returned from the USA and Canada and also an unwanted stop in Fiji because QF26 broke down. I am sure what you say is true but until you have worked for the australian government and been made redundant because you are over 40 or one of the party faithfuls want's your job you don't know what australia is really like. May I suggest you ask the steel workers from Wollongong or a car worker from an australian car manufacturing company how secure their jobs were/are.
Many manufacturing jobs and companies are wound up and shut down at the whim of the australian government because one of their university based advises says it is not efficent enough to keep going so the company moves overseas and so do our jobs. Workers in the airline industry are now being treated like the rest of us.:{:{

For those 89ers who have not fallen off their perches, the demise of Hawke will be one long celebration, and one of the greatest pissups of all time. The songs we sing that night, will leave the RAAFs little dittys for dead, and I hope that my undercarriage and whats left of my brain are still going strong, because I will go if I have to crawl there!:8

StallBoy

Are you not really saying "manufacturing jobs and companies are wound up and shut down because the australian government won't come to their aid and bailout incompetent private management at taxpayer's expense" ? :ok:

Could you kindly give one example of a Company "being wound up and shut down at the whim of the Australian Government".

.. not wanting to be controversial .. but ... Compass 1 ?

Feel a bit sorry for poor old Blanche, having to be jumped by Bob every night!

Ahhh John T, but Compass One was wound up at the whim of the REAL Australian Government of the time, not the elected one.

I've asked the question before, but while we're all enjoying this hate'orke moment, is there anyone out there who could post a copy of "Operation Sewn Up" - (or was it "Stitch Up"?) - the esteemed Mr Harbison's (sp?) plan of exceution of Compass One's demise? That should get a few people's blood pressure to go right off the scale.

Fugitive
 

Well,here we go again. Bob Hawke.This person happened to become a part of some of our lives,in the worst possible way.

Unfortunately,sometimes you are confronted with a major problem and the worst case is losing your job.
This is especially the case when you have achieved your lifetime ambition,ie,a job with an airline.

This scenario has happened to a lot of people in a number of industries including the eletricians in QLD and owner drivers in the transport industry.Ables was as usual,the hit man,with pissants like Hawke,his legislators.

At th end of the day,most of us are strong enough to get back into the industry and generally at a better level,as we are more qualified than when we first started.

What upsets us ,is the injustice of it and especially from the Govt, who are there to uphold the law.

Unfortunately.Australia is probably one of the most selfish and self centred countries in the world,with crooked polliticians.
The attitude,as in the pilots dispute was~~ they got wot they deservred~~
What did we deserve???

Anyway,most of us reserrected our career`s as you would,but we still want some blood.

forget it,you have made it in most cases.Let the little man go;he is just another scumbag that doesn`t deserve one minute of your time.

Life is short,but it is still good and so is aviation.All of these ratbags are gone,but we are stlill here and enjoying it.

I can say,I am in a senior position and will always continue to look after the people that I stood beside,during one of ther worst periods of my life.SUI GENERUS.

Regards

The Fugitive

When old numb nuts Hawke carks it, pilots and their families should hightail it to the centre of their nearest city and gather in unity to recall the most hypocritical bastard of a Prime Minister this country has seen to date. It'll certainly get the media attention.

An easy out, but I don't think so!

The winding up of Compass Mk 1 should be directed squarely at the feet of Brian Grey and Doug Reid.;)

Bryan Grey
 

You dont know what you are talking about. Doug Reid had nothing to do with compass mk1. And the facts are compass was running at a profit when closed. They were being charged international rates for air sevices which is double that of domestic.The night before closure a court arbitrator awarded compass $5 million at Tullermarine and $5 million at Sydney airports. This was paid to the liquidators after shut down. Get your facts right before you type.:=

Yes, from what I remember, Grey and Reid of very different character.

Politicians: Would you urinate on any of them if they were on fire?

Chris, your old man? What's he up to?

Silver Bodgie
 

The Quicker He Joins Ables The Better Then We Just Have To Hope Murdoch Joins Them Thats The Only Time I Would Drink To Them :d

Interesting. Two pages of posts venting about an ex prime minister for not supporting your cause and not one post about the stupidity of your union letting you all down by getting you to resign your jobs at a time when conditions were at a level that we can only dream about today.

Ant time there is anty AFAP sentment here people come out of the woodwork to decalare that the federation is us (you). On this basis the only people to blame are yourselves. Your generation had a better income and lifestyle than any generation before you or the generation since. You f:mad:d yourselves over, and you are the biggest pack of whingers in the industry.

Have a happy new year :rolleyes: