Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the execution of Ronald Ryan. Just before 8 o’clock on the morning of February 3, 1967, Ryan declined a sedative but took a sip of whisky and walked calmly to the gallows trapdoor at Pentridge Prison.
Ryan addressed his executioner directly, “God bless you, please make it quick.”
Ryan’s supporters and opponents of the death penalty observed a three-minute silence. Protesters assembled outside Pentridge Prison in vigil.
The circumstances of his death at the hands of the state have led to great myth-making about Ryan. He has been variously painted as a bit of a larrikin, driven to crime by circumstance and little worse than a kite flyer (passer of bad cheques).
The truth is he was a career criminal and his crimes before his penultimate arrest, included what we would call today aggravated burglary and robbery in company.
His arresting officer on that occasion was Bryan Harding. I’ve known Harding for many years. He was an outstanding police officer and at various times headed up the Fraud and Homicide squads in Victoria. Harding is retired and now in his 80s; he remembers Ryan as a hardened criminal who showed little or no remorse for his crimes and gave nothing away under questioning.
Full column here.
Does anyone find that Kellyanne Conway a bit creepy? Or is it just me?
I see he’s issued an edict that all staff have to ”dress like a woman” – cripes, what does that mean? That would make me wear jacket and trousers immediately!
Of course I should have said ”female” staff. Relax boys….
She’s “folksy” I think Yvonne and the Trump camp has a lot of “folksy” Americans hasn’t it. She did good work for Donald during the campaign so she has the smarts. Just a different personality methinks.
The comeback is pretty obvious:
‘Elizabeth Rooney, a police officer in Boston and army veteran … told the BBC: “I’ll start dressing like a woman when he starts acting like a president.”‘
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38853350
Love it!
mic drop……..
Jack’s piece should be read in conjunction with Dylan’s ‘Desolation Row’ playing in the background. One of his greatest songz.
Cheers, Bassman. Good link in your previous, too.
Cancer Council of Queensland is spruicking a survey with some pretty startling results, such as support for a ban on tobacco for anyone born after 2001. So, as someone who teaches people to do research, I thought I’d check their methodology. Didn’t get past page one:
The respondents were predominantly:
• Female(82%)
• 30 years or older(80%)
• Tertiary educated(81%)
• Married or in a de facto relationship (66%)
• In households without children(67%)
• Employed (79%)
• Non-smokers(92%)
• Living in southeast Queensland (66%)
On this basis they’re calling their results definite. If I wanted to waste more of my time, I’d dissect the whole thing, but why bother?
A Grade 7 student probably would have done a better job. The second last item is particularly funny.
bet there were no french among them.
i still get a giggle out of seeing the teachers and kids happily smoking together at the bus stop outside the French international school here.
most of my progressive mates love to all up how much we could learn from France, i love to ask well how about nuclear power and smoking.
Love the French, but those Gitane’s are hard to handle at close quarters.
So are the guillotines Yvonne.
I think that’s called backfilling Dwight.
Make a statement, attach a radical action, then find some irrefutable community research that makes the proposal mandating . Therefore any dissenting voice is buried by the “concensus of opinion”.
Voodoo social manipulation.
You mean like inventing a massacre to justify a ban on Muslim migration?
What on earth ar you on about JOH? We’re talking about dodgy biased research and you throw that in the ring.
I recon the Trumper hasn’t looked a any bit of research I his life, having all the answers as you would know well
Lou, I just thought your comment so perfectly described the White House fabrication of the day, I’d draw the comparison.
Also, I guess the Queensland Cancer Council using soft figures to support beneficial health measures is bit lower down my outrage-scale than the US government fabricating massacres to justify systematic religious discrimination. Call me old-fashioned.
Of course, I freely admit it’s not required to be mad only about the worst thing in the world at any given time, so don’t mind me.
JOH isn’t accepting the result of the election too well Lou as you may well have observed. The thing is the more this goes on the more likely Trump will get a second term. All the left are doing is confirming in the minds of the deplorables what they have long suspected. The political class, white collar workers and elites don’t think their opinions count for much.
The irony of the Democrats accept the result campaign before the poll still has me giggling.
Not true. You misrepresent Trump. if he consulted or was advised by Kellyanne Conway that is irrefutably research. That’s a limited demographic to be sure and quite possibly biased, but research nevertheless.
As for Dwight’s whinge about the respondents to the poll, what’s the problem there? So what? What do you want? Equal representation from smokers and non smokers?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wUdabJyAmQ
Razor, when you say “the more this goes on” do you mean the media pointing out fabrications? Do you think pointing out fabrications is an example of “elites” not thinking other people’s “opinions” count?
That attitude reminds me of a Facebook encounter I had a while ago. A friend shared a picture of a supposed Centrelink document that showed refugees getting higher benefits than aged pensioners. It was fake but getting a lot of shares. I found the FB page of the person who had originally shared the picture and posted a link to the Centrelink website where the real payment rates were displayed. I was then subjected to a torrent of abuse from that person’s FB friends. My favourite insult, which I still wear with pride, was “fact police”.
It’s my major blue with lots of so called social research. Unless you know the demographic of the participants and who paid for it it’s true worth is very little.
This is a Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag Government! Oh no, Mr Insider, I have contracted “BASSMANITIS” is there any cure?
Correction make that “BaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaD” we were laughing too hard! Love your work BASSMAN!
If I understand medical terminology, “-itis” denotes a swelling.
So you have a swelling of the BASSMAN. Ouch!
I love the way POTUS Trump starts his day with a “Tweet” or 6, Mr Insider. What a breath of fresh air is this man. Loved his tongue in cheek jibe at Schwarzenegger re the “Apprentice” TV show. One smooth and confident operator is POTUS Trump and to so many peoples shock he is doing what he promised to do at the election. That has many “fossils” rattled, some on here too, bless them.
Policy formulated on “alternative facts.”
http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/truth-behind-the-bowling-green-massacre-described-by-trump-aide-kellyanne-conway-that-never-really-happened/news-story/187db0692bb8f429bbd9b63e4b037a6f
Trump is an equal opportunity employer. He picks people who are as dumb as he is.
Come, come, Mr Baptiste, methinks privately you are in admiration for POTUS Trump, a man who does what he says he will do. Refreshing isn’t it my dear chap. Day 14 of 8 wonderful years Sir, am sure soon you will be a devote of the Donald.
Does what he says he will do. To a point Henry. The thing is that what he says he will do is often irrational.
If a man said he was going to leap from the top of Sydney Harbour bridge with a lighted sparker in his arse singing “A Star Fell From Heaven” , and then went ahead and did it, would you say he was a smart man because he did what he said he was going to do?
The Donald is clearly a plant installed by the artifices of the Russians to humiliate and weaken the USA.
How on Earth you are so star-struck you can’t see that is beyond me.
That missus of his is a cyborg, not a great one either. I would guesstimate she is a late MK 4 with the 2011 software update. Isn’t a patch on the later models for excitement and verve but has the reliable solid hardware and chassis of the old Soviet models.
Best wishes Henry you old goose.
Give ’em heapski!
Goodness Mr Baptiste you paint a most vivid pic there re the “sparkler”, your humble correspondent has cause to gasp when I read that. As Donald said “get with the program” and lets all do that Sir. It sure promises to be a time we wont forget. As the sweet Chinese say “may you live in interesting times” and thanks to POTUS Trump we do! Cheers you lovable old fossil. P.S. what do you think of our own newly named PM Milton Trumbell?
Nice placard in anti Trump rally Henry.
“IKEA has better cabinets than Trump.”
Jean Baptiste – if what you say about Trump being an EOE is correct JB, there’s not much of a chance you being a walk-up start me old mate, eh?
True, overqualified and much smarter. Trump couldn’t bear the shadow.
Of your former self JB?
Past, present future, the mans a narcissistic idiot.
I was five years old at the time, but can’t remember seeing or hearing anything about Ryan. I guess my parents made sure of that.
But I do remember seeing Bolte’s face everywhere, and even (or perhaps especially) at that age I sensed he was a ruthless pig of a man. At the time my Mum voted Liberal and my Dad voted DLP, and it may be that it was Bolte who set me on a different path. Politicians beware, the children are watching you!
Like Trump, Bolte had an aggressive, faux-folksy persona and succeeded in riding a wave of anti-intellectual populist sentiment, hailed by supporters as political genius. But history records deeds rather than style, and now he is mainly remembered for having a man hung to extend his career. Oh, and for having his blood samples switched to avoid a drink-driving charge.
JOH, his wife was quite nice though. I sat next to her at the hairdressers once, she was quite old then, but she was quite scathing about her husband……I had to admit Inwas laughing….to be polite of course…..but remember being quite shocked at what she said about him
You cant just leave us hanging like that. What did she say.
I’m with JB Penny, the suspension is killing me.
It would be uncomfortable being suspended with suspense I guess!
Come on Carl, get out of those suspenders. You’ll drive Milton mad, again.
And give them back to Yvonne straight away, she obviously can’t handle the suspense of being suspended, with or without suspenders.
We’ll leave the subject of slingshots to another day, just keep abreast of developments.
You’ve got to remember that this was a long time ago, but the basis of it was that he was a stupid old bastard, who farted too much and then blamed the dog. She added that she was quite fond of him……the dog that is.
Aw c’mon! Farting and blaming the dog! That’s hardly a hanging offence.
JB…..ha,ha. I should have added it wasn’t so much what she said, it was the language she used to get her story across. I was a young lady of tender disposition and had never heard anyone use so many “colorful” words……particularly not a lady with such standing in the community. She was though a very funny woman and very nice too. The hairdressers adored her….
If she used coarse language he must have been a pain in the neck.
John, he was premier all my life until i left school, so yes he was a constant presence in the papers.
i don’t think there was anything faux about his folksiness.
BASSMAN says:
February 3, 2017 at 7:51 pm
” Are we ever gonna say NO to the Yanks? Well we haven’t since 1945.
If John Curtin was still alive today he would kick you out of the ball park, Bassy for your apparent ongoing, lop-sided, ungrateful attitude directed at Americans. It could be argued that although Japan claims it never had plans to invade Australia, the presence of over a quarter million American troops on our soil in response to Curtin’s request for America’s help during the early ‘40’s probably saved our bacon (not to be confused with the bacon Dwight was referring to earlier).
Our gratitude should be unconditionally eternal, wash your mouth out Bassy!
Well said Carl on the Coast, I don’t know how sweet BASSMAN could not acknowledge the mammoth assistance the USA has given us, without them we would be speaking Japanese!
Henry, I am sorry, but it was my father who saved me from the yellow peril. He told me that if it wasn’t for him I’d be eating rice and speaking Japanese……please don’t tell me told me a fib. I think my husband’s father told him the same thing, so they can’t both be lying……
No way he was lying Penny our gallant Aussie soldiers endured alongside our great US allies. Am reading Gavan Daws superb book “Prisoners of the Japanese” and how the Aussies suffered. God bless your dear Dad and his service to our country Penny.
GROAN!
Bassy, I note the paucity of your 1.07pm response, compared to your standard questionable voluminuous scrapbook jottings, appears to be your unequivocal acceptance of admonishment. Well done. Solvol may do the trick mate.
…and Pears for you Toaster. Keep sucking up to the Yanks.
Obviously you are not aufait with our ‘alliance’. It is hardly worth a pinch of shit. The alliance has never been the security “guarantee” that Australia’s leaders like to call it.
When the Menzies government first negotiated it, Australia wanted the ANZUS Treaty as firm as America’s treaty with Western Europe. Under NATO’s Article 5, an armed attack on any member is considered an attack on all. The US refused. So the AUSMIN treaty commits Australia and the US only to “consult” each other in the advent of an “adverse challenge”.
In Australia’s critical moment of need in a crisis with communist Indonesia in 1962, the US refused even to go that far. The Kennedy administration declined Australia’s request to invoke the treaty. Richard Nixon put Australia on what he called his “shit list”.
Howard suffered a jolting disappointment when he asked the Clinton Administration for ground troops in the East Timor crisis of 1999 and was rebuffed. The alliance, which has never been any guarantee, seems to be entering a zone of exceptional unreliability under Trump.
The only thing that would invoke the alliance in my book as I have said for years on this blog, is a hit on Pine Gap which should ALWAYS be used as a lever when dealing with the Yanks.
God Bless America
Bassy says: “It is hardly worth a pinch of shit.”
You’d probably be a good judge on that score Bassy. Your constant carping criticsm of the level of our own defence expenditure may indicate you’re either a pacifist or a CO.
But if so, I make no judgement about you mate.
Carl on the Coast says:
FEBRUARY 5, 2017 AT 2:17 PM…Toaster…I appreciate you are a lot brighter than me but SORRY. We spend far too much on Defence. Oh I forgot WASTE a lot. Much of the stuff we have bought does not fly or does not float and it looks ditto for the future-helicopters, planes, tanks, subs-all massive expensive ballsups. I want some of those billions spent on Australians. Yep..our grandchildren
Is that a pleasurable groan or do you have a bad case of indigestion ?
Woollies car park at Northbridge this afternoon, following a dad with a rather full trolley with his young daughter hanging off the side, probably about seven years.
Daughter……it’s hot.
Dad…….going to be hotter tomorrow.’
Daughter……hotter tomorrow!
Dad…yes
Daughter….what, hotter than this morning?
Dad…..yes
Daughter…holy cwap!
Tracy, my little 2 1/2 year old grandson’s new favourite phrase, enduring this summer in Sydney without airconditioning (until we we threatened the parents with a charge of child abuse) is now “it’s a hot day today” with that droll tone the yanks use to talk about Jason Day, you know like diaaayy.
His is followed up by the repetitive, “it’s a very hot day, to diaaayy.”
He’s not wrong either.
Talking about crime now out of control, Victoria escalating violence seen last 12 months , is now leading over NSW comes to mob cultural and car-jackings out of control. We living in a different unsafe world especially these street crimes seen there.
Movies many mentioning here , Liam Neeson takes some beating.
Last night I shared with friends with wife to see Danny Green fight in desperation being concussed in a cheap blow by Mundine when Green had his back turned , then go onto win the fight by 3 imported judges on the night .
Both boxers need to retire in their 40s not the brilliance as before. The whole crowd erupted in the club Green been declared the winner. Mundine fought the night hanging on to avoid that killer blow by Green .Mundine fighting a concussed Green then landed many jabs gaining points but too late on Green’s early points gain.
Great night saying all after a crazy ignorant Mundine trying to shame our Jessica Mauboy singing many great songs and national anthem.
These are perceptions not hard data, Rodent. Violent crime, assaults, car thefts etc have not grown in the last year compared with say five years ago across all categories of violent offending.
Those same perceptions have been found carved into stone tablets and on the walls of caves. Funny how things are always getting worse, yet here we are in a world where things have never been better.
Two possible theories to explain this:
1) Maintaining a negative perception motivates improvement.
2) The older people get, the more they notice the shit that was there all along.
Jack, I forget the actual details of the story, but was there not some controversy as to whether Ryan killed the guard or not? Were there not (shudder), alternative facts?
He was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, TV and that’s how our system works. There was some ballistics evidence which suggested the shot was fired from an elevated position. This was presented to the jury who chose to convict anyway. Years later, a guard came forward to say he believed he fired the fatal shot but he was later discredited. Was there enough evidence to create reasonable doubt? Possibly but once Ryan was hanged there was not much point in appealing.
The evidence relating to the shot elevation is well covered in the link I previously sent. The link is a gem because Faine talks directly with Ryan’s lawyer (he was on the team and spoke with Ryan 90 times including just before he died). One statement interested me. “Bolte had to hang SOMEONE. A conservative Premier was said to have no mettle unless he hanged a few.” Words similar from Burke his lawyer. Bolt failed at trying to get Tait hanged, another villain (insanity plea) so he went after Ryan. All fascinating stuff. As Jack says…very political. Ryan’s brief is 87 and still a practising barrister Bald.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2017/01/31/4612093.htm?§ion=latest&date=20170204T1316
someone, put up a link to jon faine interviewing brian bourke, and in that interview bourke, who was junior counsel for ryan, cast doubt on the shot from the top of the wall theory, pretty much dismissed it.
bourke wouldn’t be drawn on his view of guilt or disclose details of conversations he had with ryan, but he wasn’t saying that there had been a miscarriage of justice. my recollection is that senior counsel, opas, argued there was.
bourke did suggest that walker was the lucky one, guilty of murder but found guilty of manslaughter as the jury didn’t want him hanged.
back in gaol now i think.
Bassman just reposted the link, mate. Re Walker, yes the lucky one. My memory is he offered a self defence defence claiming Henderson attacked him and hence the manslaughter. He did a big stretch for it but in and out of jail ever since and as you say, back in as of last year. He’s 75 now. Clearly hasn’t mellowed with age.
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/notorious-criminal-peter-walker-is-back-in-jail/news-story/42c9b056fa6359c191d326a06c5905e8?sv=e7e27c85bf801a0f7a2fc1ac352bb98b