Here I am again and I’m singing Willie Nelson’s song, ‘On the road again, like a band of gypsies travelling down the highway’. I’m writing this from Hobart, Tasmania where we are showing the film Absent to over 250 enthusiastic Tasmanian viewers.  Next stop on the road is Adelaide and then Perth. The responses to the film and the questions on fatherhood and the importance of fathers have been fantastic. Earlier ...

I am writing this on a flight between Townsville and Cairns, North Queensland, Australia. I am currently on tour with the ‘Absent’ movie and its director Justin Hunt. I say movie because the film is one hour and 29 minutes long and is a brilliant and well crafted expose on the importance of fathers and the effects of fatherlessness. Justin Hunt is a young 36 year old filmmaker who is a ...

Can I share a secret with you? Only on the condition that you promise not to tell anyone else? The secret is: “My wife makes me look good”. Now that it’s out, it’s all too late.  I can’t take it back.  That’s why it is so important for you to keep this information to yourself.  You see, I always like to take the credit for everything myself.  You know that song, “Lord ...

This is an exciting time in the restoration of fatherhood in Australia. To quote Bill Biddle, manager of film distribution for Koorong: “Interest in Absent is exploding across Australia”. Many venues booked are preparing for overflow areas with extra screens as interest gets stronger. The Facebook page is up to 461 likes and Koorong, the national distributor of the Absent movie, received over 900 click-throughs on the Absent logo of one ...

Absent, a powerful and moving film about the impact of fathers on children and society, will screen in Australian cities as part of a National Premiere Film Tour 13-29 June 2013, accompanied by the film’s award-winning director Justin Hunt. I am very excited that I will be accompanying Justin Hunt on the tour and hopefully  will catch up with you along the way. The documentary is an emotional journey that reveals ...

In the Absent movie, which will soon be touring Australia, 13-29 June 2013, John Eldredge, author of ‘Wild at Heart’ says, “If you take snapshots of western culture right now the prognosis is not good”. David Blankenhorn has stated in ‘Fatherless America’ written in 1996, “Fatherlessness is the most harmful demographic trend of this generation”. Dave Kopel, in his article called ‘Fatherlessness: The Root Cause’ says: As Pat Moynihan wrote in ...

Last week I got a phone call from Mary-Louise Fowler, the coordinator of the World Congress of Families VII (WCF). She said with a worried voice, “We are in danger of losing some of our best speakers!” “Why?” I asked. Mary-Louise replied, “Homosexual activists are attacking the World Congress of Families because many of the speakers believe that children deserve a mother and a father and that marriage between a man and a woman is the best ...

I have a confession to make.  I’m a ‘marriage junkie’. What is a marriage junkie and why am I one? Maybe it’s because my own mum and dad had such a shocking marriage.  The Boys in Blue had to come down and adjudicate the fights.  For my brother and I, growing up in World War III was a pretty difficult experience. Maybe it was a mixture of my Dad’s Australian-born English ...

For months you have been hearing about the Dads4Kids Fatherhood Train the Trainer Summit, held last weekend at ‘Gumburu’ on a mountain top in North Queensland. The question you might well ask is, “How did it go?” Before I endeavour to answer, let me tell you about the agony and the ecstasy we experienced in the lead up to the Summit. When Dads4Kids first started the process of inviting applications from ...

Some time ago a good friend of mine sent me an article by Mic Dover called, ‘Once Were Toddlers’ from a monthly magazine ‘Sydney’s Child’, www.sydneyschild.com.au The article was all about the New Zealand based Good Man Project. The idea for the project grew out of a conversation between a college headmaster and ex-prison manager. The manager, Celia Lashlie, had been working with at-risk young children when she was shocked to see ...

Some are speculating that this year’s 98th celebration of ANZAC Day could be one of the biggest ever.  The curious thing is that more and more young people are getting up very early in the morning to take part in the traditional ANZAC dawn service.  This year tens of thousands will make the pilgrimage to Turkey to commemorate the heroic landing of our troops at ANZAC Cove. One could argue that ...

It started like any other day.  I remember vividly it was a warm blue sky with a light sea breeze from the east.  I had kissed my wife goodbye early that morning  and had raced into the office to get three major projects completed that day.  The beauty of the day  faded quickly into the urgency of the deadlines I had yet to meet. I was to take a call from ...

Here we go again — my second Single Dads article in almost 1½ years of the FathersOnline newsletter. I always said the first article wouldn’t be the last. What has brought on this sudden burst of ‘single father inspiration? Read Peter Duncan’s email in the News & Info section before you go any further to find out: Dear Dads4Kids Get off your ‘Unfair Child Support Blame the Family Court’ soap box. ...

As I walked up the main street of Wollongong one day this week, I heard a voice cry out my name. It was an old friend of mine, whom I knew was now a single dad. He had experienced the full brunt of the Family Court’s injustice. His divorce was both painful and bitter. Simon had subsequently walked away from a very good job on the wharves and become another one ...