Australian Politics Forum - I Was Only Nineteen

Brian Ross

Gold Member

Offline

Representative of me

Posts: 46311

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #60 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:25pm

Sir Grappler Truth Teller OAM wrote on Dec 8^th, 2023 at 7:02pm:

You see - no Nasho was nineteen - a few guys who enlisted at a young age were.... more than one such was killed... but Nashos were all 20+.

1971 that Brian referenced the war was winding down... had been since 1969 when the US decided to hand it over to the ARVN, though 1968 had the highest number of US casualties after that decision had been taken - just sorting the place out to hand over cost them many more than the first three years or so, and Oz fought the NVA at Coral/Balmoral. Bloke I know was in the last 6RAR company in the joint and they had some ferocious battles in 1972.

I accept your acknowledgement that you were wrong, Graps. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Roll Eyes

Back to top

It seems that I have upset a Moderator and are forbidden from using posting to the general forum now. So much for Freedom of Speech. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Roll Eyes

IP Logged

Agnes. Gold Member Offline St Agness Posts: 1248	Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release Reply #61 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:25pm The very broad Australian accent is sexy I think.
Back to top	Why Johnny Ringo, you look like someone just walked over your grave ~ IP Logged

Jasin Gold Member Offline Posts: 56770 Gender:	Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release Reply #62 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:25pm But way more Irish than English (or Scottish, or Welsh). Sorry - but this is where the Irish accent dominated more so, in was known as Strine. Sorry, but the English lost and became inferior in this one.
Back to top	AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY. IP Logged

MeisterEckhart

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 16759
Gender: male

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #63 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:33pm

Jasin wrote on Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:25pm:

But way more Irish than English (or Scottish, or Welsh).
Sorry - but this is where the Irish accent dominated more so, in was known as Strine. Sorry, but the English lost and became inferior in this one. Wink

Which English accents 'lost'? Cockney (with its rhyming slang)? Brummie? Yorkshire? Geordie?

How about Scottish? Welsh?

Back to top

IP Logged

Brian Ross

Gold Member

Offline

Representative of me

Posts: 46311

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #64 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:33pm

What is remarkable about 'strine is that all Australians understand it, despite where they hail from. South Australians are reputed to speak with a close to an English accent. WA speakers speak with an accept closer to the classic 'strine accent, mixed with a fair degree of Englishness and South African accents. Queenslanders speak with a classic 'strine accent. Victorians speak with a close to an English/Irish accent.

Back to top

It seems that I have upset a Moderator and are forbidden from using posting to the general forum now. So much for Freedom of Speech. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Roll Eyes

IP Logged

MeisterEckhart

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 16759
Gender: male

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #65 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:36pm

Brian Ross wrote on Dec 8^th, 2023 at 8:33pm:

What is remarkable about 'strine is that all Australians understand it, despite where they hail from. South Australians are reputed to speak with a close to an English accent. WA speakers speak with an accept closer to the classic 'strine accent, mixed with a fair degree of Englishness and South African accents. Queenslanders speak with a classic 'strine accent. Victorians speak with a close to an English/Irish accent.

Correct. Strine is intelligible across Australia - unlike in the UK where there are nearly 40 distinct dialects.

Back to top

IP Logged

MeisterEckhart Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 16759 Gender:	Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release Reply #66 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 9:05pm The British and Irish settlers of New Holland/Australia were proud of the compromise accent they'd quickly developed to overcome the scores of regional-accent intelligibility among them. They thought they'd devised the perfect accentless English pronunciation!!
Back to top	IP Logged

MeisterEckhart Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 16759 Gender:	Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release Reply #67 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 9:13pm Back to it though... If Grappler is right - that there were few, if any, 19-year-old Australians sent to Vietnam, then the song's tag itself is poetic license. The stress on the last syllable of 'nineteen' is more lyrical than the stress on the first syllable of 'twenty'.
Back to top	IP Logged

Jasin Gold Member Offline Posts: 56770 Gender:	Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release Reply #68 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 10:47pm I'll agree with the above. It's obvious I have to accept there is more than just one right answer.
Back to top	AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY. IP Logged

Sophia Gold Member Offline Posts: 9581	Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release Reply #69 - Dec 8^th, 2023 at 11:39pm Watching some funny YouTube’s about Americans trying to understand Aussie’s etc But this is hilarious…
Back to top	If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand. Milton Friedman IP Logged

AusGeoff

Gold Member

Offline

Sage of Gippsland

Posts: 6025
Victoria
Gender: male

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #70 - Dec 9^th, 2023 at 4:17am

Young men (no women!) had to register in the first or
second six months of the year dependent on their date
of birth.

EG:
Born (say) 19 April = register in previous January;
Born (say) 19 October = register in previous July.

Which meant—due to recruit and corps training, and
specialist job training times, no National Serviceman in
Vietnam was "only 19"—all were at least 20, and some
were 25.

And no National Service man was "forced" into a posting
to Vietnam. The ADF much preferred nashos who had
a desire to go rather than those who didn't want to
be there from day one.

And there was no shortage of Vietnam volunteers among
the nashos. A lot of young blokes wanted the tax-free
income and zone allowance, and the low interest home
loans. And of course the free piss and cigs were another
incentive for a single bloke. As were the Saigon bar girls!

Back to top

IP Logged

AusGeoff

Gold Member

Offline

Sage of Gippsland

Posts: 6025
Victoria
Gender: male

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #71 - Dec 9^th, 2023 at 4:34am

mothra wrote on Dec 8^th, 2023 at 7:25am:

...I can only imagine how much you hated what The Herd did with it. But then again, you probably don't know about it.

This would be, without any doubt, the absolutely worst
cover of John Schumann's poignant, eloquent and
stirring song I've ever had the displeasure of hearing.

It's disrespectful to both returned diggers and KIAs, and the
silly hip-hop delivery totally loses any of the lyrics' intended
thought-provoking, emotional impact. It's nothing but cynical,
heartless pap, intended solely to line the pockets of the
producer and performers (such as they are).

Which explains too why their version never charted in Australia.

Angry

Back to top

IP Logged

MeisterEckhart

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 16759
Gender: male

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #72 - Dec 9^th, 2023 at 6:41am

AusGeoff wrote on Dec 9^th, 2023 at 4:17am:

Which meant—due to recruit and corps training, and
specialist job training times, no National Serviceman in
Vietnam was "only 19"—all were at least 20, and some
were 25.

I found at least one soldier - killed in the Battle of Long Tsn - Private Francis B Topp - he was only 19.

Private Francis Brett Topp, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, was from Helidon in Queensland. He and his cousin were educated at Downlands College, Toowoomba. He was killed in action during the Battle of Long Tan in Phuoc Tuy on 18th August 1966, Aged 19.

https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/military/display/110205-private-f...

Back to top

IP Logged

Jasin Gold Member Offline Posts: 56770 Gender:	Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release Reply #73 - Dec 9^th, 2023 at 6:55am Sophia wrote on Dec 8^th, 2023 at 11:39pm: Watching some funny YouTube’s about Americans trying to understand Aussie’s etc But this is hilarious… That was a funny find Sophia.
Back to top	AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY. IP Logged

Jasin

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 56770
Gender: male

Re: I Was Only Nineteen - New Release
Reply #74 - Dec 9^th, 2023 at 6:58am

Vietnam War

: The Enslavement of Australian Civilians by their Military/Political Industry (just another Company/Corporation) to go fight Yellow People in their own part of the world for a Privatised Political system based upon archaic Roman/Greek politics - known as the USA: the most invasive nation on the planet.

A better song would have been : I was only a Civilian

Back to top

AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY.

IP Logged