A young boy sat in a science class, his eyes fixed on a beaker sitting on the teacher’s desk. The teacher’s words were muffled to the boy’s hearing as he thought of his dad and how great it would be when he was no longer busy at the firm and they could go fishing one weekend. But deep down, he feels this may never happen. An executive sat in his leather ...

Last Sunday, I travelled to Canberra with Warwick Marsh and his son Nathaniel, to attend the inaugural Fatherhood Foundation (Dads4Kids) National Council Meeting. This was also the National Day of Mourning for those killed by the terrorist attack in Bali. We attended a service in Parliament House that evening, where there was an outpouring of grief for the victims of this tragedy. On Monday morning, we attended a prayer breakfast attended ...

School holidays have well and truly ended, during which many fathers have had the opportunity to spend some time with their children. For some fathers, the sense that their children are merely ‘visiting’ them, often underscores the idea in both father and children that the children ‘belong’ somewhere else. This idea is often difficult to challenge, particularly when it has originated with court ‘orders’. The youngest of my children often refers ...

‘Promoting family values’ has been the catch-cry of both well-intentional and vote-hungry politicians throughout the ages. In Australia in recent years, it has had a particularly strong and enthusiastic resurgence. Who can forget Bob Hawke’s emotional electoral promise that, “by the Year 2000, no Australian child will be living in poverty”? In 1989, the Hawke Labor Government introduced the Child Support Scheme, which had the effect of engineering and accelerating the ...

Speaking as a grandfather of twelve grandchildren, I am grateful for having been a father, and now a grandfather. It’s a constant challenge, doing the right thing all the time. I wonder if the grandkids know that saying, ‘Like father, like son’? I’m gradually learning! And how about this one: Q. What’s grander than a dad? A. A grand-dad! ___ William Lackenby, Moss Vale, NSW, aged 76 years. Bill and Joan ...