X-Symantec-TimeoutProtection: 0 Return-Path: X-Original-To: info@ausheart.com.au Delivered-To: info@ausheart.com.au Received: from localhost (marlin.fishinternet.com.au [127.0.0.1]) by marlin.fishinternet.com.au (Postfix) with ESMTP id 759083FA10 for ; Sun, 26 Feb 2006 09:21:25 +1100 (EST) Received: from marlin.fishinternet.com.au ([127.0.0.1]) by localhost (marlin.fishinternet.com.au [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 15353-07 for ; Sun, 26 Feb 2006 09:21:12 +1100 (EST) Received-SPF: none (marlin.fishinternet.com.au: 150.101.193.82 is neither permitted nor denied by domain of fathersonline.org) client-ip=150.101.193.82; envelope-from=info@fathersonline.org; helo=polyglot.com.au; Received: from polyglot.com.au (eth2643.nsw.adsl.internode.on.net [150.101.193.82]) by marlin.fishinternet.com.au (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6013B3FA0E for ; Sun, 26 Feb 2006 09:20:47 +1100 (EST) Received: from server ([192.168.100.14]) by polyglot.com.au with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.211); Sun, 26 Feb 2006 09:21:31 +1100 Thread-Topic: Fathers-Laying their life down Reply-To: Message-ID: <17bcc01c63a59$d3ffb9d0$0101a8c0@polyglot.local> thread-index: AcY6WdP9fAbc+cRmScaYWNeWfenqVw== From: To: Subject: Fathers-Laying their life down Date: Sun, 26 Feb 2006 09:21:30 +1100 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_17BCD_01C63AB6.077031D0" X-Mailer: Microsoft CDO for Exchange 2000 Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message Importance: normal Priority: normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.326 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 25 Feb 2006 22:21:31.0005 (UTC) FILETIME=[D4022AD0:01C63A59] X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at fishinternet.com.au This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_17BCD_01C63AB6.077031D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Unable to read this email? Please click here Issue 182 - 20th February,2006 Go to our website Here * Welcome Warwick * Grandads * Laughter * Single Dads * All you need is Love * Thought of the Week * Special Feature * News & Info * Dad's Prayer * About Us Welcome Warwick Last Thursday my wife and I hosted a breakfast and luncheon mini-summit on fatherhood and men's policy issues pertaining to family law reform. Several key leaders from within the fatherhood movement attended. Barry Williams of the Lone Fathers Association and spokesperson for Parents Without Partners was there along with Tony Miller, CEO of Dads in Distress. Ash Patil from Fathers4Equality came and also John Flanagan from the Non-Custodial Parents Party. Several other groups were represented. For many of the guys it was the first time that they had met. For others it was a chance to renew old friendships. As we introduced ourselves around the table the phrase, 'it is an honour to be among such men' was heard several times and was something that I also reiterated. The 'Fatherhood Movement' in Australia is growing in strength, slowly but surely. The reason for such healthy growth is that the men who are leading the movement at this present time have done the hard yards themselves and are all deeply committed, not just to the advancement of men as fathers, but are committed to helping make stronger families, healthier communities and a better future for our children. Most of the leaders have laid down their lives to provide better outcomes for the women, children and men of Australia. In 1976, Barry Williams, head of the Lone Fathers Association had four young children when his wife left him. His youngest was 3 months old, then 6, 9 and 11 years old. He left work after an accident to care for his children. When he went to Centrelink to apply for single parenting allowance he found that he was not eligible because he was a man. Instead of taking it on the chin as many men would, he decided to do something about such blatant discrimination. Barry went to Parliament House, set up his tent on the front lawn and began a hunger strike to obtain justice. Last Thursday he told us how he and his 6 year old son got soaked in the middle of the night when the automatic sprinkler system came on to water the grass. Undeterred he continued his hunger strike. Of course the media had become very interested in his story and so did the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser. On the fifth day of Barry Williams' hunger strike Malcolm Fraser said, "You are quite right son, go home and look after your children." A Government car arrived that night at 9.40 pm with a message from the Prime Minister that what Barry had been fighting for had come into law. It is interesting to note that even though Barry's stand for justice was successful, he has never received a supporting parent's benefit for one day of his life. Instead he chose to continue shooting wild ducks, kangaroos and rabbits to support his family until he could work again. Over the following 33 years Barry Williams poured hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money into establishing over 30 support branches for single fathers all over Australia. He has yet to receive a proper wage for this work. For decades he has been promised proper government funding, but these promises have failed to materialise. Barry Williams is regularly abused by the very men he tries to help. He told me recently that he will not give up the battle until every child's natural right to a good relationship with his father is secured by an Act of Parliament. Recently Barry, like Tony Miller, was nominated for an Australian of the Year Award. Barry is, in so many ways, a father to the fatherhood movement in Australia. What qualifies him is his sacrifice and ability to put others ahead of himself. This is what qualifies any father to become the leader in his family. So that is why, last Thursday, we said, 'it is an honour to be at the same table' as men such as Barry Williams who have given, and continue to give, their lives for a better future for our children. Lovework Take heart from Barry Williams' example as a father to the families and children of Australia. Let us continue to lay our life down for our own wife and children. After all, isn't that what love is all about. Yours for our children Warwick Marsh PS. I have received many emails and comments of support from last week's fathersonline on the subject of my wife's miscarriage and the dangers of the RU486 abortion pill. Many of these comments have been printed in this week's News & Info section, both for and against. Greatly appreciate your support and encouragement - Warwick. ________________________________________ Warwick Marsh has been married to Alison for 30 years. He is the father of five children, four boys and one girl, ranging in age from 25 years to 13 years. Warwick is a musician, songwriter, producer and public speaker who likes to think he can still laugh at himself. back to top Grandads By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact, but I am prouder to be a father. General Douglas MacArthur back to top Laughter I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got mydoctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising. I decided to take an aerobics class. I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over. _______________________________________________________ Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a local neighbourhood tavern. Late in the evening the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the car park for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five vehicles, the man managed to find his car which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine dry night), flicked the indicators on, then off, tooted the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few cm, reversed a little and then remained stationary for a few more minutes as some more vehicles left. At last he pulled out of the car park and started to drive slowly down The road. The police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and carried out a Breathalyzer test. To his amazement the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man having consumed alcohol at all! Dumbfounded, the officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the Police Station this Breathalyzer equipment must be broken." "I doubt it," said the man, "tonight I'm the designated decoy". True story... back to top Single Dads DAD president says it's time to tackle divorce rate Kingsport Times-News (Tennessee) January 22, 2006 By DEE GOODIN Child support and visitation are passionate topics for parents but they are also indicative of a much larger, growing problem affecting all of society. "We are in the midst of an astonishingly fast-growing problem," said Tony Gottlieb, president of DAD - Dads Against Discrimination - of Tennessee. "And people are not aware of how fast it's growing." Successful marriages and the nuclear family are quickly becoming a rarity. Gottlieb said according to recent statistics, 34-36 percent of births are occurring to single parents and of the more than 50 percent of failing marriages, half have children involved. "More than half of the children born in the country are going to be or are living in some sort of dual-parenting situation," Gottlieb said. "When I was a child, the incidence of divorce of my neighborhood was very, very rare. When you look around today, it's hard to find anyone who hasn't been deeply affected by it." At the root of the problem is what Gottlieb calls "a lack of responsible parenting." He said there is "an astonishing failure to teach our young men responsibility." Gottlieb said responsible non-custodial parents are often clumped in with what some call "dead-beat dads." And sometimes a custodial parent will abuse the court system to punish an ex-partner. But a parent's main concern should be raising a healthy child, emotionally as well as physically, not seeking vengeance on the child's other parent. According to the DAD of Tennessee Web site, children who come from fatherless homes compose: - 63 percent of youth suicides. - 70 percent of juveniles in state institutions. - 71 percent of teen pregnancies. - 71 percent of high school dropouts. - 75 percent of children in chemical abuse centers. - 85 percent of youths in prisons. - 85 percent of children with behavioral problems. - 90 percent of homeless and runaway children. "The co-relationship between fatherlessness and childhood development failures should have everyone's attention by now but for most people they have grown so accustomed to it they no longer perceive it as an aberration." Gottlieb, a father of two, ages 11 and 13, recently participated in a panel that was convened by Tennessee's Department of Human Services to review child-support guidelines. "That gave me the opportunity to hear issues from judges and family law professionals (as well as others) and they were able to hear us," Gottlieb said. "I have to say that I take my hat off to DHS for at least taking a step and recognizing there is a broader scope here. They're doing whatever they feel they can to increase the level of fairness and participation." Gottlieb said recently in the media there had been a widely-publicized case of a convicted child rapist who was sentenced to 60 days in jail. He pointed out failing to pay child support, whatever the reason, can land a non-custodial parent in jail for up to 180 days. "At some point we have to start incarcerating the criminals and stop running a debtors' prison. If this is supposed to be about the best interests of our children, what purpose does judicially sanctioned parental alienation serve ?" Gottlieb has his own ideas about how to solve the problem. "Various people have various approaches," he said. "The state and federal government have provided for tax exemptions for religious organizations," Gottlieb said. "If the church is not the dominion of the family then what is? ... It would be my serious hope that religious and faith-based organizations would step up to the challenge. "Most judicial districts are funded by property taxes," he said. "Churches and other faith-based groups compose a large amount of property that is exempt. We would all hope the church would be very, very involved in dealing with these family issues. I'm not condemning anyone, I just would like for the religious community to realize we're losing our nuclear families. "If you realize you're living in buckle of Bible belt (and that same region) experiences some of highest divorce rates in entire country, it comes down like a ton of bricks on the church. It's my personal belief it will be churches and faith-based organizations that will solve this problem," Gottlieb said. "It's time now, we've gone over the edge. We can't ignore these problems anymore - they're too big and they are affecting our overall standard of living," he said. For more information, visit www.tndads.org. back to top All you need is Love I am Always Wrong By Michael Kiely Some readers might think I'm a feminist, weak, sucker-up-to-women type of guy because I insist men are to blame for the state of their relationships. I do think that. But I don't think men get a fair go. Society is biassed against men and boys. That's a given. It's up to men to lead society out of this hole. Not cajole and threaten and force it out. 'Lead', which means to inspire, to motivate, to encourage and reward. Just to prove I'm not putting you on about the 'men are disadvantaged' stuff, here are the lyrics of a song I wrote last year. It's played in a bluegrass, appalachian mountain style. I'm Always Wrong As a young man I discovered one important fact Boys and girls are different in the way they think and act Schoolteachers will tell you boys are dumb and girls are bright My teachers taught me I was hardly ever right My mother taught me early to expect to be corrected She prepared me for a lifetime living as directed I found a girl whose love soon had me bound and gagged Guess I was blessed to find a girl who cares enough to nag CHORUS If you're a male go straight to jail Do not pass go do not collect $200 dollars It's the game, it's been the same Since Adam was a scholar To change the game you'd have to change the world You can only hope next time you come back as a girl My son asked me secretly one day when I was home Dad if I'm out there in the bush and I'm all alone Will I still be wrong if there's no woman I can see I said son I'm always wrong it's no use asking me CHORUS SECOND CHORUS No matter if you are at work, at school or if you are at home You start behind the eightball with a Y chromosome No matter what you do the disapproval will be strong All the women in your life will let you know you're wrong Copyright Michael Kiely 2005 Now doesn't that make you feel better? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Free Offer of E-Book for Fathersonline Subscribers (Offer will end soon!) 'Man Overboard' by Michael Kiely is a breakthrough book, designed to help men rescue and renew their marriage relationships. Michael has been married for over 30 years, has three children and a background in business and marketing. He shares with his readers how he rescued his own marriage when it went into crisis mode. 'Man Overboard' is short (100 pages), filled with headlines, valuable insights and quotations and doesn't beat around the bush. Warwick Marsh, founder of the 'Fatherhood Foundation' says, "Every man should read this book if he is serious about staying married. It is easy to fall in love, but you have to fight to stay in love. Michael Kiely's book will give you keys to win the battle of love and save your marriage from destruction. 'Man Overboard' will help to keep the 'love fires' burning, but beware, this book is only for the brave. The fainthearted should not read this book. back to top Thought of the Week Greater love has no man than this that he lay his life down for his friends. Jesus back to top Special Feature Wollongong Mini-Summit on Fatherhood, Men's Policy and Family Law 23rd February 2006 On 23rd February the Fatherhood Foundation hosted a min-summit on the proposed Family Law Reform 2005 Amendment Bill. Groups represented included: Fatherhood Foundation, Lone Fathers Association, National Fatherhood Coalition, Parents Without Partners, Non Custodial Parents Party, Fairness in Child Support, Fathers for Equality. Other groups were also represented and very interested in the outcome of our meeting. These included the Australian Christian Lobby and the Festival of Light. Barry Williams tabled comments from both the Australian Government and the Opposition. The purpose of the mini-summit was to consider our joint position on Family Law Reform and find key points of agreement between the various groups and team members. This will lead to practical outworking in our discussions with MPs and Senators from the various political parties when we meet in Federal Parliament, Canberra on 2nd March 2006. The general agreement amongst delegates at the mini-summit was that the current legislation was admirable in intent, but will be seriously flawed in practice. The reason for this is that it does not guarantee justice to our children to equally enjoy a relationship with both mother and father. Equality of children, mothers and fathers must be guaranteed by law to ensure that the Family Relationship Centres will function, as intended, in a fair and equitable manner. The following states our position, from the groups as listed above, on the proposed Family Law Amendment 2005 as derived from the Wollongong Mini-Summit. 1) As a starting point in child custody arrangements it must be acknowledged that every child has a fundamental right to equal parenting time with both mother and father unless there are proven mitigating circumstances, or unless the parents agree to alternative arrangements. 2) We support the principle that women should receive equal pay for equal work. Shared parenting will promote equal pay for women by giving both parents equal opportunity to work. 3) Domestic violence by men or women within the family unit is to be condemned by all and should attract the full force of the law for all perpetrators whether male or female. Therefore deliberate attempts to isolate a child from a parent without just cause (eg false allegations of domestic violence) should also be considered an act of domestic violence. back to top News & Info Treating all Family Types Equally in Social Policy and Law by Natalie J Gately and Pamela J Henry from the School of Law and Justice, Edith Cowan University Thursday, 2nd March 2006 3 pm Main Committee Room, Parliament House To RSVP please phone Faye on 02 6277 4386 (Alby Schultz Office) The recent inquiry into child custody arrangements in the event of family separation recommended significant changes to the family law system and child support scheme. The Ministerial Task Force on Child Support has also outlined recommended changes to the child support scheme. Whilst this inquiry and subsequent recommendations acknowledge the difficulties that are encountered by subsequent families have been overlooked. This presentation will discuss the findings of independent research conducted by Ms Gately and Ms Henry in conjunction with the Member for Hume, Alby Schultz MP and the implication of those findings for social policy and law. __________________________________ Letters Dear Fatherhood Foundation I wanted to write to thank you for the excellent newsletter! Each edition has a wonderful mix of inspiration and determination about fathers/children/issues of relevance to us all. Keep up the great work! Brian * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Fatherhood Foundation Know how you feel, we lost three, all under three months John & Maureen * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Fatherhood Foundation It was a very sad day for Australia when our collective parliament individually voted for an organisation of medicos to consider the abortion pill. Congratulations to John Howard, Tony Abbott and the others who tried to persuade their colleagues that this important moral decision was for the Australian people to decide through their elected representatives. Congratulations to Warwick and Alison Marsh and all the other advocates who also fought hard to prevent this decision. Those who spoke up should not feel ashamed. Now let's pray that the TGA never receive an application from a pharmaceutical company and if they do they reject it. Let's also support every girl we know who may face this awful dilemma to consider life choices for their unborn child. There is still hope. Mark * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Fatherhood Foundation For the most part your website is informative and useful but your comments on RU486 make me think that a secular fathersonline website would be more helpful to most fathers in Australia. Mark Walton * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Fatherhood Foundation Last week's was a very good newsletter. I just wanted to express my appreciation. Tim Banfield * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Fatherhood Foundation A very touching and thought provoking letter on RU486 and your wife's miscarriage. Thanks. I am not surprised or amazed at the passage of the bill. This is our nation. The people who are doing the "supposedly right thing" are busy working, paying bills, and trying to be there for their family. I sent in a letter re RU486, but from previous experience I wasn't expecting even a flood of correspondence to make any difference. The core values have all changed, and the core value of society now seems to be selfishness and self-absorption. When the fight is with politicians and their minders that are elusive and unaccountable, it is a tough battle to wage. I appreciate your work. Kevin * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Fatherhood Foundation I have sent a letter to Wollongong's Mercury newspaper. What a shocker re RU486! My letter is there but also a letter claiming the numbers of abused children would be up if we didn't abort them first and another letter suggesting we should now euthanase our older people given we have allowed the abortion pill! This legislative change appears to be the slippery slope of devaluing of all human life. I am disgusted! Keep up your great work. It's more important than ever now! God bless you Mark Sewell * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Fatherhood Foundation Someone objected to my letter in Launceston's examiner removing Parliamentary oversight of the human pesticide known as RU486. I wrote this letter with the hope of it doing some good. Great to hear from you. What a beautiful song by Allison. Kind regards Jack Sir, K Malisauskas (Letters, 19 Feb) responding to my letter of 16 Feb needs a small history lesson concerning the human pesticide known as RU486. Not able to find an American or European manufacturer (one woman died during testing in Canada so they ceased the testing and banned the drug) Danco Pharmaceuticals was incorporated in the tax haven of the Cayman Islands by a disbarred lawyer and convicted forger by the name of Pike in order to market their deadly product. They make no other Pharmaceuticals. RU486 is manufactured by a Chinese drug company near Shanghai cited by the U S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for producing tainted drugs. China however has banned the drug. China's international news agencies, citing safety concerns about the drug, report that "retail drug stores are forbidden to sell the drug with or without a prescription." At least 5 women that we know of have died in the US and in 237 instances 68 women required blood transfusions with 42% of them losing over half their blood volume. Since RU486 results in only a 60 to 80% chance of an abortion a second drug must be injected within 48 hours. This drug, Cytotec (Misoprostol), increases the percentage to 92-95% and is manufactured by R G Searle. A Melbourne QC in the Herald Sun of 16 Feb reports that Searle has issued repeated warnings that this drug is unsuitable for abortions because of "unacceptable risks of serious injury or death". Although the promoters of this death drug say it will benefit women in the bush the FDA Medication Guide warns that RU486 should NOT be taken by anyone who has asthma, glaucoma, liver or kidney disease, hypertension, anaemia, with heart problems, taking blood thinners or if they cannot easily get hospital emergency room medical help including blood transfusions and emergency resuscitation. The Journal of the American Medical Association, the Washington Post and the Lancet, British Medical Journal, all report that in the French tests 10% of the women were in such pain that they required narcotic pain relief in the "not safe" level. The French government, after all the problems requiring blood transfusions, unsafe levels of narcotics etc, banned the use by smokers and women over the age of 35. France must not care as much about the health of their women as Canada because even after a woman died during testing RU486 France did not follow Canada with a blanket ban of this shonky drug. The safety and wellbeing of Australian women and children has been ignored by the hideous politicians who voted to disallow parliamentary oversight of RU486. These are the "they" I was talking about in my letter objected to by Malisauskas in your letters page of 19 Feb. Significant worldwide testing has already proven RU486 causes intense pain, massively excessive bleeding, haemorrhaging and death. It is NOT therapeutic! The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration need not conduct further dangerous tests. Cordially, Jack Sonnemann Tunbridge Wells Inn Tunbridge 7120 03 62552126 ******************************** Dear Fatherhood Foundation Please find below my letter re the Senate inquiry on Family Law Amendment Bill 2005. Committee Secretary Senate Legal Constitutional Committee Department of the Senate Parliament House, CANBERRA. 2600. Dear Secretary, Inquiry into Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility)Bill 2005. Bill Number O5196. I wish to make an official complaint to all concerned about the impossibly short time in which to make submissions (7th-24th February) and the ridiculously short time in which the Senate Committee has to study this bill, that is one month (from 24th February to 27th March,2006) This Bill is a complex and most important document and both the public and the committee need months to study it. It will have profound affects on this nation. If we are going to have a new Family Law Bill, we need to scrap the old one and start again. It is impossible to make sense of it unless we have the 1975 Act to compare the changes carefully and we need to know that those who have prepared it do not have ulterior motives behind these changes. We have just had 30 years of a Family Law that was instigated under Labor, and we do not want another 30 years of the same socialist/feminist agenda, (meaning the destruction of the family unit). One wrong decision could result in the destruction of many lives, in fact the collapse of our society. Please grant an extension of time for this inquiry, and pass on my complaint to the Prime Minister and Attorney General. Yours faithfully, Bev Pattenden, Co-Founder of Grandparents in Distress. back to top Dad's Prayer Dear God You are wonderful beyond description. Your fatherhood credentials are impeccable. No one is as perfect as you. We do our best, but we still fall short as fathers. Our children expect so much more than we can deliver, but with your help we are in the race. Please help us become great dads. back to top About Us Mission Statement & Help Us! Mission Statement The Fatherhood Foundation is a charitable, non profit incorporated association with a goal to inspire men to a greater level of excellence as fathers, by encouraging and educating them, thereby renewing and empowering families. Click here for more information about us Help Us! The Fatherhood Foundation believes that the key to life is giving. That's why this newsletter is given freely without expectation. Life is also about relationships. That's what being a good father is all about, developing relationships with your loved ones. If you would like to give financially to the Fatherhood Foundation, please mail your cheque or money order to: Fatherhood Foundation PO Box 440 WOLLONGONG NSW 2520 AUSTRALIA You have received the fathersonline.org newsletter because you have subscribed, or you have been subscribed by a friend. If you do not wish to receive future emails, please click the UNSUBSCRIBE button below or send an email to info@fathersonline.org with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject heading. back to top Click Here to Unsubscribe ------=_NextPart_000_17BCD_01C63AB6.077031D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Fatherhood Foundation
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Issue 182 - 20th February,2006 Go to our website Here


Welcome Warwick

Last Thursday my wife and I hosted a breakfast and luncheon mini-summit on fatherhood and men's policy issues pertaining to family law reform. Several key leaders from within the fatherhood movement attended. Barry Williams of the Lone Fathers Association and spokesperson for Parents Without Partners was there along with Tony Miller, CEO of Dads in Distress. Ash Patil from Fathers4Equality came and also John Flanagan from the Non-Custodial Parents Party. Several other groups were represented. For many of the guys it was the first time that they had met. For others it was a chance to renew old friendships. As we introduced ourselves around the table the phrase, 'it is an honour to be among such men' was heard several times and was something that I also reiterat ed.

 

The 'Fatherhood Movement' in Australia is growing in strength, slowly but surely. The reason for such healthy growth is that the men who are leading the movement at this present time have done the hard yards themselves and are all deeply committed, not just to the advancement of men as fathers, but are committed to helping make stronger families, healthier communities and a better future for our children. Most of the leaders have laid down their lives to provide better outcomes for the women, children and men of Australia.

 

In 1976, Barry Williams, head of the Lone Fathers Association had four young children when his wife left him. His youngest was 3 months old, then 6, 9 and 11 years old. He left work after an accident to care for his children. When he went to Centrelink to apply for single parenting allowance he found that he was not eligible because he was a man. Instead of taking it on the chin as many men would, he decided to do something about such blatant discrimination.

 

Barry went to Parliament House, set up his tent on the front lawn and began a hunger strike to obtain justice. Last Thursday he told us how he and his 6 year old son got soaked in the middle of the night when the automatic sprinkler system came on to water the grass. Undeterred he continued his hunger strike. Of course the media had become very interested in his story and so did the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser. On the fifth day of Barry Williams' hunger strike Malcolm Fraser said, "You are quite right son, go home and look after your children." A Government car arrived that night at 9.40 pm with a message from the Prime Minister that what Barry had been fighting for had come into law.

 

It is interesting to note that even though Barry's stand for justice was successful, he has never received a supporting parent's benefit for one day of his life. Instead he chose to continue shooting wild ducks, kangaroos and rabbits to support his family until he could work again. Over the following 33 years Barry Williams poured hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money into establishing over 30 support branches for single fathers all over Australia. He has yet to receive a proper wage for this work. For decades he has been promised proper government funding, but these promises have failed to materialise.

 

Barry Williams is regularly abused by the very men he tries to help. He told me recently that he will not give up the battle until every child's natural right to a good relationship with his father is secured by an Act of Parliament.

 

Recently Barry, like Tony Miller, was nominated for an Australian of the Year Award. Barry is, in so many ways, a father to the fatherhood movement in Australia. What qualifies him is his sacrifice and ability to put others ahead of himself. This is what qualifies any father to become the leader in his family.

 

So that is why, last Thursday, we said, 'it is an honour to be at the same table' as men such as Barry Williams who have given, and continue to give, their lives for a better future for our children.

 

Lovework

 

Take heart from Barry Williams' example as a father to the families and children of Australia.

 

Let us continue to lay our life down for our own wife and children.

 

After all, isn't that what love is all about.

 

Yours for our children

Warwick Marsh

 

PS. I have received many emails and comments of support from last week's fathersonline on the subject of my wife's miscarriage and the dangers of the RU486 abortion pill.  Many of these comments have been printed in this week's News & Info section, both for and against.  Greatly appreciate your support and encouragement - Warwick.

________________________________________


Warwick Marsh  has been married to Alison for 30 years. He is
the father of five children, four boys and one girl, ranging in
age from 25 years to 13 years.  Warwick is a musician,
songwriter, producer and public speaker who likes to think he
can still laugh at himself.

back to top

Grandads

 

By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact, but I am prouder to be a father.

General Douglas MacArthur

back to top

Laughter


 

I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got mydoctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class. 
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour. 
But, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

_______________________________________________________

Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a local neighbourhood tavern. Late in the evening the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the car park for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing.

After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five vehicles, the man managed to find his car which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off.

Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine dry night), flicked the indicators on, then off, tooted the horn and then switched on the lights.

He moved the vehicle forward a few cm, reversed a little and then remained stationary for a few more minutes as some more vehicles left.

At last he pulled out of the car park and started to drive slowly down The road.

The police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and carried out a Breathalyzer test. To his amazement the breathalyzer indicated no evidence of the man having consumed alcohol at all!

Dumbfounded, the officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the Police Station this Breathalyzer equipment must be broken."

"I doubt it," said the man, "tonight I'm the designated decoy".

True story...

 

 

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Single Dads

DAD president says it's time to tackle divorce rate

Kingsport Times-News (Tennessee)

January 22, 2006

By DEE GOODIN

 

Child support and visitation are passionate topics for parents but they are also indicative of a much larger, growing problem affecting all of society.

 

"We are in the midst of an astonishingly fast-growing problem," said Tony Gottlieb, president of DAD - Dads Against Discrimination - of Tennessee.

 

"And people are not aware of how fast it's growing."

 

Successful marriages and the nuclear family are quickly becoming a rarity.

 

Gottlieb said according to recent statistics, 34-36 percent of births are occurring to single parents and of the more than 50 percent of failing marriages, half have children involved.

 

"More than half of the children born in the country are going to be or are living in some sort of dual-parenting situation," Gottlieb said. "When I was a child, the incidence of divorce of my neighborhood was very, very rare.

When you look around today, it's hard to find anyone who hasn't been deeply affected by it."

 

At the root of the problem is what Gottlieb calls "a lack of responsible parenting."

 

He said there is "an astonishing failure to teach our young men

responsibility."

 

Gottlieb said responsible non-custodial parents are often clumped in with what some call "dead-beat dads." And sometimes a custodial parent will abuse the court system to punish an ex-partner. But a parent's main concern should be raising a healthy child, emotionally as well as physically, not seeking vengeance on the child's other parent.

 

According to the DAD of Tennessee Web site, children who come from fatherless homes compose:

 

- 63 percent of youth suicides.

 

- 70 percent of juveniles in state institutions.

 

- 71 percent of teen pregnancies.

 

- 71 percent of high school dropouts.

 

- 75 percent of children in chemical abuse centers.

 

- 85 percent of youths in prisons.

 

- 85 percent of children with behavioral problems.

 

- 90 percent of homeless and runaway children.

 

"The co-relationship between fatherlessness and childhood development failures should have everyone's attention by now but for most people they have grown so accustomed to it they no longer perceive it as an aberration."

 

Gottlieb, a father of two, ages 11 and 13, recently participated in a panel that was convened by Tennessee's Department of Human Services to review child-support guidelines.

 

"That gave me the opportunity to hear issues from judges and family law professionals (as well as others) and they were able to hear us," Gottlieb said. "I have to say that I take my hat off to DHS for at least taking a step and recognizing there is a broader scope here. They're doing whatever they feel they can to increase the level of fairness and participation."

 

Gottlieb said recently in the media there had been a widely-publicized case of a convicted child rapist who was sentenced to 60 days in jail. He pointed out failing to pay child support, whatever the reason, can land a non-custodial parent in jail for up to 180 days.

 

"At some point we have to start incarcerating the criminals and stop running a debtors' prison. If this is supposed to be about the best interests of our children, what purpose does judicially sanctioned parental alienation serve ?"

 

Gottlieb has his own ideas about how to solve the problem.

 

"Various people have various approaches," he said. "The state and federal government have provided for tax exemptions for religious organizations," Gottlieb said. "If the church is not the dominion of the family then what is? ... It would be my serious hope that religious and faith-based organizations would step up to the challenge.

 

"Most judicial districts are funded by property taxes," he said. "Churches and other faith-based groups compose a large amount of property that is exempt. We would all hope the church would be very, very involved in dealing with these family issues. I'm not condemning anyone, I just would like for the religious community to realize we're losing our nuclear families.

 

"If you realize you're living in buckle of Bible belt (and that same region) experiences some of highest divorce rates in entire country, it comes down like a ton of bricks on the church. It's my personal belief it will be churches and faith-based organizations that will solve this problem," Gottlieb said.

 

"It's time now, we've gone over the edge. We can't ignore these problems anymore - they're too big and they are affecting our overall standard of living," he said.

 

For more information, visit www.tndads.org.

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All you need is Love

I am Always Wrong

By Michael Kiely

 

Some readers might think I'm a feminist, weak, sucker-up-to-women type of guy because I insist men are to blame for the state of their relationships. I do think that. But I don't think men get a fair go. Society is biassed against men and boys. That's a given. It's up to men to lead society out of this hole. Not cajole and threaten and force it out. 'Lead', which means to inspire, to motivate, to encourage and reward.

 

Just to prove I'm not putting you on about the 'men are disadvantaged' stuff, here are the lyrics of a song I wrote last year. It's played in a bluegrass, appalachian mountain style.

 

I'm Always Wrong

 

As a young man I discovered one important fact

Boys and girls are different in the way they think and act

Schoolteachers will tell you boys are dumb and girls are bright

My teachers taught me I was hardly ever right

 

My mother taught me early to expect to be corrected

She prepared me for a lifetime living as directed

I found a girl whose love soon had me bound and gagged

Guess I was blessed to find a girl who cares enough to nag

 

CHORUS

If you're a male go straight to jail

Do not pass go do not collect $200 dollars

It's the game, it's been the same

Since Adam was a scholar

To change the game you'd have to change the world

You can only hope next time you come back as a girl

 

My son asked me secretly one day when I was home

Dad if I'm out there in the bush and I'm all alone

Will I still be wrong if there's no woman I can see

I said son I'm always wrong it's no use asking me

 

CHORUS

SECOND CHORUS

No matter if you are at work, at school or if you are at home

You start behind the eightball with a Y chromosome

No matter what you do the disapproval will be strong

All the women in your life will let you know you're wrong

 

Copyright Michael Kiely 2005

 

Now doesn't that make you feel better?

 

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Free Offer of E-Book for Fathersonline Subscribers (Offer will end soon!)

 

'Man Overboard' by Michael Kiely is a breakthrough book, designed to help men rescue and renew their marriage relationships.  Michael has been married for over 30 years, has three children and a background in business and marketing.  He shares with his readers how he rescued his own marriage when it went into crisis mode.  'Man Overboard' is short (100 pages), filled with headlines, valuable insights and quotations and doesn't beat around the bush. 

 

Warwick Marsh, founder of the 'Fatherhood Foundation' says, "Every man should read this book if he is serious about staying married.  It is easy to fall in love, but you have to fight to stay in love.  Michael Kiely's book will give you keys to win the battle of love and save your marriage from destruction.  'Man Overboard' will help to keep the 'love fires' burning, but beware, this book is only for the brave.  The fainthearted should not read this book.

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Thought of the Week

 

Greater love has no man than this

that he lay his life down

for his friends.

 

Jesus

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Special Feature

Wollongong Mini-Summit on

Fatherhood, Men's Policy and Family Law

23rd February 2006

 

On 23rd February the Fatherhood Foundation hosted a min-summit on the proposed Family Law Reform 2005 Amendment Bill.  Groups represented included:

Fatherhood Foundation, Lone Fathers Association, National Fatherhood Coalition, Parents Without Partners, Non Custodial Parents Party, Fairness in Child Support, Fathers for Equality.   Other groups were also represented and very interested in the outcome of our meeting.  These included the Australian Christian Lobby and the Festival of Light. Barry Williams tabled comments from both the Australian Government and the Opposition. 

 

The purpose of the mini-summit was to consider our joint position on Family Law Reform and find key points of agreement between the various groups and team members.  This will lead to practical outworking in our discussions with MPs and Senators from the various political parties when we meet in Federal Parliament, Canberra on 2nd March 2006.

 

The general agreement amongst delegates at the mini-summit was that the current legislation was admirable in intent, but will be seriously flawed in practice.  The reason for this is that it does not guarantee justice to our children to equally enjoy a relationship with both mother and father. Equality of children, mothers and fathers must be guaranteed by law to ensure that the Family Relationship Centres will function, as intended, in a fair and equitable manner.

 

The following states our position, from the groups as listed above, on the proposed Family Law Amendment 2005 as derived from the Wollongong Mini-Summit.

 

1)       As a starting point in child custody arrangements it must be acknowledged that every child has a fundamental right to equal parenting time with both mother and father unless there are proven mitigating circumstances, or unless the parents agree to alternative arrangements.

 

2)       We support the principle that women should receive equal pay for equal work.  Shared parenting will promote equal pay for women by giving both parents equal opportunity to work.

 

3)       Domestic violence by men or women within the family unit is to be condemned by all and should attract the full force of the law for all perpetrators whether male or female. Therefore deliberate attempts to isolate a child from a parent without just cause (eg false allegations of domestic violence) should also be considered an act of domestic violence.

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News & Info

Treating all
Family Types

Equally in
Social Policy and Law

 

by Natalie J Gately and Pamela J Henry

from the School of Law and Justice,

Edith Cowan University

 

Thursday, 2nd March 2006

3 pm Main Committee Room, Parliament House

 

To RSVP please phone Faye on 02 6277 4386 (Alby Schultz Office)

 

The recent inquiry into child custody arrangements in the event of family separation recommended significant changes to the family law system and child support scheme.  The Ministerial Task Force on Child Support has also outlined recommended changes to the child support scheme.  Whilst this inquiry and subsequent recommendations acknowledge the difficulties that are encountered by subsequent families have been overlooked.  This presentation will discuss the findings of independent research conducted by Ms Gately and Ms Henry in conjunction with the Member for Hume, Alby Schultz MP and the implication of those findings for social policy and law.

__________________________________

 

Letters

 

Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

I wanted to write to thank you for the excellent newsletter!  Each edition has a wonderful mix of inspiration and determination about fathers/children/issues of relevance to us all.

 

Keep up the great work!

 

Brian

 

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Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

Know how you feel, we lost three, all under three months

 

John & Maureen

 

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Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

It was a very sad day for Australia when our collective parliament individually voted for an organisation of medicos to consider the abortion pill. Congratulations to John Howard, Tony Abbott and the others who tried to persuade their colleagues that this important moral decision was for the Australian people to decide through their elected representatives. Congratulations to Warwick and Alison Marsh and all the other advocates who also fought hard to prevent this decision. Those who spoke up should not feel ashamed. Now let's pray that the TGA never receive an application from a pharmaceutical company and if they do they reject it. Let's also support every girl we know who may face this awful dilemma to consider life choices for their unborn child. There is still hope.

 

Mark

 

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Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

For the most part your website is informative and useful but your comments

on RU486 make me think that a secular fathersonline website would be more

helpful to most fathers in Australia.

 

Mark Walton

 

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Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

Last week's was a very good newsletter. I just wanted to express my appreciation.

 

Tim Banfield

 

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Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

A very touching and thought provoking letter on RU486 and your wife's miscarriage. Thanks.

 

I am not surprised or amazed at the passage of the bill. This is our nation. The people who are doing the "supposedly right thing" are busy working, paying bills, and trying to be there for their family. I sent in a letter re RU486, but from previous experience I

wasn't expecting even a flood of correspondence to make any difference.

 

The core values have all changed, and the core value of society now seems to be selfishness and self-absorption. When the fight is with politicians and their minders that are elusive and unaccountable, it is a tough battle to wage.

 

I appreciate your work.

 

Kevin

 

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Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

I have sent a letter to Wollongong's Mercury newspaper.  What a shocker re RU486!

My letter is there but also a letter claiming the numbers of abused children would be up if we didn't abort them first and another letter suggesting we should now euthanase our older people given we have allowed the abortion pill!  This legislative change appears to be the slippery slope of devaluing of all human life. I am disgusted!

Keep up your great work. It's more important than ever now!

God bless you

 

Mark  Sewell

 

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Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

Someone objected to my letter in Launceston's examiner removing Parliamentary oversight of the human pesticide known as RU486.  I wrote this letter with the hope of it doing some good.

 

Great to hear from you.  What a beautiful song by Allison.

 

Kind regards

Jack

 

Sir,

 

K Malisauskas (Letters, 19 Feb) responding to my letter of 16 Feb needs a small history lesson concerning the human pesticide known as RU486.

 

Not able to find an American or European manufacturer (one woman died during testing in Canada so they ceased the testing and banned the drug) Danco Pharmaceuticals was incorporated in the tax haven of the Cayman Islands by a disbarred lawyer and convicted forger by the name of Pike in order to market their deadly product.  They make no other Pharmaceuticals. 

 

RU486 is manufactured by a Chinese drug company near Shanghai cited by the U S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for producing tainted drugs.  China however has banned the drug.  China's international news agencies, citing safety concerns about the drug, report that "retail drug stores are forbidden to sell the drug with or without a prescription."

 

At least 5 women that we know of have died in the US and in 237 instances 68 women required blood transfusions with 42% of them losing over half their blood volume.

 

Since RU486 results in only a 60 to 80% chance of an abortion a second drug must be injected within 48 hours.  This drug, Cytotec (Misoprostol), increases the percentage to 92-95% and is manufactured by R G Searle.  A Melbourne QC in the Herald Sun of 16 Feb reports that Searle has issued repeated warnings that this drug is unsuitable for abortions because of "unacceptable risks of serious injury or death".

 

Although the promoters of this death drug say it will benefit women in the bush the FDA Medication Guide warns that RU486 should NOT be taken by anyone who has asthma, glaucoma, liver or kidney disease, hypertension, anaemia, with heart problems, taking blood thinners or if they cannot easily get hospital emergency room medical help including blood transfusions and emergency resuscitation.

 

The Journal of the American Medical Association, the Washington Post and the Lancet,  British Medical Journal, all report that in the French tests 10% of the women were in such pain that they required narcotic pain relief in the "not safe" level.  The French government, after all the problems requiring blood transfusions, unsafe levels of narcotics etc, banned the use by smokers and women over the age of 35.  France must not care as much about the health of their women as Canada because even after a woman died during testing RU486 France did not follow Canada with a b lanket ban of this shonky drug.

 

The safety and wellbeing of Australian women and children has been ignored by the hideous politicians who voted to disallow parliamentary oversight of RU486.  These are the "they" I was talking about in my letter objected to by Malisauskas in your letters page of 19 Feb. 

 

Significant worldwide testing has already proven RU486 causes intense pain, massively excessive bleeding, haemorrhaging and death.  It is NOT therapeutic!  The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration need not conduct further dangerous tests.    

 

Cordially,

 

Jack Sonnemann

Tunbridge Wells Inn

Tunbridge  7120

03 62552126

******************************** 

Dear Fatherhood Foundation

 

Please find below my letter re the Senate inquiry on Family Law Amendment Bill 2005.

 

Committee Secretary

Senate Legal Constitutional Committee

Department of the Senate

Parliament House,

CANBERRA. 2600.

 

Dear Secretary,      

Inquiry into Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility)Bill 2005.

Bill Number O5196.

 

I wish to make an official complaint to all concerned about the impossibly short time in which to make submissions (7th-24th February)  and the ridiculously short time in which the Senate Committee has to study this bill, that is one month (from 24th February to 27th March,2006)

 

This Bill is a complex and most important document and both the public and the committee need months to study it.  It will have profound affects on this nation. If we are going to have a new Family Law Bill, we need to scrap the old one and start again.  It is impossible to make sense of it unless we have the 1975 Act to compare the changes carefully and we need to know that those who have prepared it do not have ulterior motives behind these changes.  We have just had 30 years of a Family Law that was instigated under Labor, and we do not want another 30 years of the same socialist/feminist agenda, (meaning the destruction of the family unit).  One wrong decision could result in the destruction of many liv es, in fact the collapse of our society.

 

Please grant an extension of time for this inquiry, and pass on my complaint to the Prime Minister and Attorney General.

 

Yours faithfully,

Bev Pattenden, Co-Founder of Grandparents in Distress.

 

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Dad's Prayer

 

 

Dear God

 

You are wonderful beyond description.

Your fatherhood credentials
are impeccable.

No one is as perfect as you.

We do our best, but we still
fall short as fathers.

Our children expect so much
more than we can deliver,

but with your help we are in the race.

Please help us become great dads.

 

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About Us

Mission Statement & Help Us!

Mission Statement

The Fatherhood Foundation is a charitable, non profit incorporated association with a goal to inspire men to a greater level of excellence as fathers, by encouraging and educating them, thereby renewing and empowering families.

Click here for more information about us

Help Us!

The Fatherhood Foundation believes that the key to life is giving.  That's why this newsletter is given freely without expectation.  Life is also about relationships.  That's what being a good father is all about, developing relationships with your loved ones.
 
If you would like to give financially to the Fatherhood Foundation,
please mail your cheque or money order to:
Fatherhood Foundation
PO Box 440
WOLLONGONG  NSW  2520
AUSTRALIA

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