Thirty three years ago (July 24, 1981) my father's plane, RAF Jaguar T2 XX916 16, crashed into the Bristol Channel, twelve miles east off Hartland Point, Devon, after bird strike.
In Martin-Baker seats both he and his pilot ejected but sadly my father got caught up in his parachute harness and drowned.
When I look back I'm grateful that inevitable media mentions were small and discrete - a far cry from today's obsessive media handling of the tragic downing of MH17.
I am dumbfounded by my Australian country yet again.
Oh the irony when Australian journalists railed against 'tramplers' as they trampled through the MH17 crash site whilst they too, the Australian media, trampled through the MH17 crash site.
And the downright ignorance emmanating from Australian politicians when they laid immediate blame on certain parties without reliable evidence.
And the emotional torture as families and loved ones of MH17's passengers were endlessly invited to imagine last MH17 moments in an unsupported capacity over and over again.
Inter alia, the media have had 'unfettered access' to an aviation crash site which is something they do not normally get ...
... and consequently we have been dragged through gruesome media speculation and gruesome media hysteria - I can only imagine how this irresponsible dissemination of information may have heightened the abject misery of the grieving families day by day bulletin by bulletin.
And what about the people who live in the Donetsk area?
How are they?
How have their lives been affected by this added disaster to their lives?
What damage did they sustain when MH17 crashed onto their homes and their paddocks and their woodlands?
Considering their existing war-torn lives are we truly incapable of extending any thought as to what sort of impact this has had on them?
Have we not noticed the small heartfelt touches of sympathy in flowers and words ...
... and even the initial search and rescue operation - yes - we should remember there was one and that despite living in a war zone they started the process of gathering up our loved ones - it's summer, resources are limited and ...
... and we're just so critical and privileged and I feel so sad and wish that Australian politicians and their media acolytes would just butt out period.
They are insupportable.
And here's the thing, once and for all:
Australian mainstream media, you are history to me now just like Australian politicians.
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