Australians should not take for granted the peace and prosperity we enjoy
Camera IconAustralians should not take for granted the peace and prosperity we enjoy Credit: Supplied/Getty Images

Opinion: Australians are so lucky

Steve Toon, BelmontSouthern Gazette

HOW lucky are we.

A lot of Australians probably take our freedoms for granted, as a lot of us have grown up knowing no different.

We think nothing of the opportunities our families, children and grandchildren have. We can sit and relax at a roadside cafe sharing a coffee with friends with no real fear of bomb explosions and/or sustained machine-gun fire.

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Way back in the early seventies, whilst serving in Northern Ireland.

An explosion at a cafeteria inside a very large shopping mall. Shoppers with their shopping trolleys beside them, sat sipping tea and chatting.

A bomb hidden inside a shopping trolley has been wheeled in, and placed beside them. Eighteen innocent women and children were killed and twice as many seriously maimed and injured

Today in our wonderful country, when out shopping, I don’t look over my shoulder or jump at a loud noise. I am grateful to sit, relax and take the load off my feet, along with enjoying a low-calorie cream cake with a coffee, chat with my wife Lyn, carefree and happy (Well most of the time!).

I believe many past and especially our present members of the Defences forces can tell you similar stories.

They, like I, are proud to be Australian, and grateful to live a life with personal choices and without fear.

Steve Toon,

Belmont