The Park Of The Australian Soldier

The GG is coming to Israel and this will be the first time that a serving Australian governor general will have visited Israel. Apparently two others have visited, Sir Zelman Cowen and Sir Isaac Isaacs, but not during their terms of office. If you’re short of trivia questions between overs during Ritchie Benaud’s commentaries on the MCG seagulls you may be interested to know that though they were both born of the Jewish persuasion Isaacs was not a Zionist but Cowen is. (His son, Rabbi Dr Shimon Cowen, is Director of the Institute for Judaism and Civilization in Melbourne.)
Although Major-General (retired) Michael Jeffery will be visiting primarily for the dedication of the Park of the Australian Soldier in Be’er Sheva on 28/4/08, not unlike GWB (43) the visit will be in the twilight of his term. If you’re not following the Aussie news closely then you’re quite probably unaware that Kevin Rudd, the new PM down under, has earmarked a lady, Quentin Bryce, to be the next vice royal.
As for the Park it features a landscaped recreational area and playground catering for children with disabilities. The central feature is a sculpture by the Australian sculptor, Peter Corlett, commemorating the charge of the Australian Light Horse Division’s 4th Brigade against the Turkish positions at Beersheba on 31 October 1917. The Park is an initiative of the Pratt Foundation. In this project the Pratt Foundation, one of the largest private sources of philanthropy in Australia, is associated with the Beersheba Foundation.