Hello
Happy Sunday!
...and at last, our very first newsletter! Huge apologies to those of you who have been subscribed for a while - I hope it's worth the wait!
Incredibly, the Batting the Breeze podcast has been running for about 18 months, and if you've been listening, you'll have seen that at its heart, the podcast is about human connection - understanding that we are all connected by a common humanity but recognising that it's our diversity and unique experiences that make us interesting.
This newsletter is an extension of that idea and gives me a chance to share a little more from this end while hopefully learning a little bit about you. Always feel free to drop me an email and let me know what you're thinking!
When you subscribe to a newsletter, you give permission to allow someone into your personal space, i.e. your inbox. This is a privileged position for the sender and one I will always treat with great respect. So here's to human connections...
Latest podcast episode...
Episode 46. The Khmer Rouge, Mr Clever and Me
In 1993, Chris Moon MBE was taken prisoner while clearing landmines in Cambodia by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, the most feared and brutal regime in the country's history. No Western prisoner had ever survived. Chris managed to keep his emotions in check and used his early-life farming experiences, army training and plenty of guile to attempt to take control of a situation that was stacked heavily against him and his team.
After trekking through the stifling, malaria-infested Cambodian forest for two days, the outlook was not good; the Khmer Rouge commander was planning to shoot the prisoners and burn the vehicles. But then... Chris encountered Mr Clever...
Listen now: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music or just about any other. podcast player of your choice.
Check out the show notes and transcript to learn more.
My favourite quote from the episode...
"And, as I look at the world today, there's so much madness and sadness.I realise that humankind's greatest enemy is not another religion, nation, state, ideology, nationality.Humankind's greatest enemy is the violence and aggression itself.As Einstein said, "Our technology has advanced faster than our humanity". Now, the challenge for humanity in the 21st century is to make sure that our humanity catches up." - Chris Moon
And I couldn't resist sharing my favourite quote not included in the podcast (well, not all of it, anyway). It was a great example of Chris's dry sense of humour and a sign of getting the mindset right when facing extreme adversity. And when I say adversity, I mean he had just been captured by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and told to remove all his clothes...
"I think, "Well, this can't get any worse". Then a Khmer Rouge soldier walks over, shoves an AK-47 up my left nostril, and says, "Take your clothes off". And at that point, I realised it could get a lot worse.I did two things. I started praying to the big man upstairs, "Please God, please God, don't let them have sex with me", and the second thing I thought was, "Gosh, that AK-47 fits perfectly up my nostril. I didn't know that". - Chris Moon
Podcast extra...
During this episode, I mentioned another life-threatening incident that Chris experienced when he left Cambodia and moved on to clear mines in Mozambique. He stood on one of the mines his team were in the process of clearing. If you want to find out what happened, listen to this two-minute clip to hear Chris recalling this extraordinary experience.
By the way...
Last Thursday, April 25th, marked ANZAC Day, a day of remembrance across Australia and New Zealand for all those who "served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations."
It was originally marked to remember the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Air Corps (The ANZACs) at Gallipoli in 1915 during the First World War in an attempt to take control of the Dardanelles (or 'Strait of Gallipoli'), a strategically important waterway to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean.
Winston Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, was largely responsible for instigating the Gallipoli campaign against the Turks. Approximately 60,000 Allied troops and 60,000 Turks were killed, and the campaign ended in dismal failure for the Allies. The bravery and loyalty shown by the ANZACs remain a symbol of Australian and New Zealand pride and national identity to this day.
In Episode 13, I spoke with Bill Murray, the son of Edmund Murray, Churchill's last bodyguard who, in 1958, accompanied him on Aristotle Onassis's yacht through the Dardanelles and noted "a very sombre silence".
Dates with History...
Today...
On 28th April 1967, Muhammad Ali refused conscription into the US Army to fight in the Vietnam War and was stripped of his boxing heavyweight world title and licence. Born Cassius Clay, he was considered "The Greatest" boxer of all time by many supporters and, not least, by himself. He was the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world three timers and died in 2016 at the age of 74.
Later this week...
On Friday 4th May 1979, 45 years ago, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She held that position for over 11 years and died at the age of 87 in 2013.
Question of the week...
Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, USA, is famous for its National Memorial, a massive 60-foot-high carving of the heads of four US Presidents directly into the rock face. Work started in 1927 and was completed in 1941. Can you name the four presidents? (answer at bottom of newsletter)
And finally...
Most of my earlier working years were spent in and out of business offices. Believe it or not, laughter at work is a serious business. Laughter makes us happier but it also helps to make us more productive. Luckily, If we choose to look, there is humour in every situation lurking just under the surface. Here’s one of my favourite quickies on the subject:
Manager: “I’m looking to rearrange the office on Sunday, can you come in and help me?
Young trainee: “No problem – I will probably be late as the buses are unreliable on a Sunday.”
Manager: “Don’t worry about that; what time do you think you will be in?”
Young trainee: “Monday.”
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Thank you for joining me. Have a great week!
Steve
HOST & CHIEF STORY HUNTER
P:S: Incidentally, I am always keen to receive your feedback to help me continuously improve this newsletter and the podcast. Just hit reply to this email and...... let it rip! I respond to every email that I receive.
Answer to Question of the week: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln.
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