Tuesday, February 14 .....

I was watching Q&A last night and was interested to hear the panel talk about heroes. One fellow thought that modern football heroes just didn’t cut it and hoped that kids might look a little higher for their models. Fat chance! We’ll always be impressed with the celebrities who are built up by the media, no matter how inappropriate they might be as role models.

When I was 12, my heroes were Roger Bannister and Edmund Hillary and I read all I could about their exploits. When Marilyn and I met Sir Edmund in Sydney about 1968, I was tongue-tied at the thought of shaking hands with the great man. At the time he was raising money to build schools in Nepal and I was impressed that he was putting his celebrity to good use. I suppose it’s not unlike the modern sports heroes who start a foundation to cash in on their fame for the good of people who need help. The Jane McGrath Foundation is a good example.

One of the other heroes mentioned last night on Q&A was Stephen Hawking. I would have thought he might be fairly unlikely as a hero but his name has a certain cachet and some people might think it would benefit them in some way to attach themselves to his reputation. His book, A Brief History of Time has sold squillions (1 for every 750 people in the world) and has been translated into 40 languages but I read somewhere that most people have bought it simply to be able to display it prominently in their home. Only about 5% even attempt to read it.

Well, I am now among that 5%. I’ve downloaded the book and have made my way through the first chapter. The book is only 101 pages so it’s not too onerous a read. I have already noticed that I encounter passages where I can recognise every word but struggle to attach meaning to the sentences. However, discipline is the thing and I’ll keep at it.