The Art of Forgiveness (2025)
On my recent visit to Japan, I was struck by the politeness of the people. With a population of around 123 million, some pedestrian and driver rudeness was expected but there was none. The people were delightful and everything was so ordered, barely a scrap of paper or any rubbish could be…
Read MoreUndeniable Pain (2025)
The loss of a family member can be traumatic. You need time to grieve and process the passing of a loved one, especially if it is sudden. One death is bad enough but losing three siblings in under a year is unfathomable. That has been my lot and my family’s lot over the past year.…
Read MoreVale Michael and Philip (2024)
Two of my brothers sadly passed away suddenly mid-year and within three weeks of one another. One of my other brothers, John, wrote tributes to both in the Rostrevor old scholars’ magazine, Red and Black. Philip was born on January 22, 1964 and died on June 8, 2024. He was the youngest of six children…
Read MoreThe Vagaries of Life (The Majellan Magazine, 2024)
Life does not always turn out the way we would like. There are the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows, and the missteps that play out in our lives. No one is immune from the pain of loss, whether it be the death of a spouse, grandparent, parent, sibling or child. In the last…
Read MoreThe ‘selfless’ Anzac spirit (The Majellan Magazine, 2024)
The selflessness of people who have died in tragic circumstances while helping others has been highlighted in recent news stories. Zomi Frankcom, the Australian aid worker died in an Israeli drone attack while feeding starving Palestinians in Gaza and then there was the bravery of those who fearlessly confronted the man who rampaged through a…
Read MorePerils of Pompeii (The Majellan Magazine, 2017)
Pompeii’s sudden and violent destruction in 79AD has long held a fascination for many. The city was a vibrant seaport and important trading post for several centuries until Mount Vesuvius unleashed all the power it could muster one August day, reigning volcanic ash and pumice over Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum. The unsuspecting inhabitants had little…
Read MoreNew ‘Vinnies’ president (Kairos Magazine, 2014)
Michael Liddy spent much of his professional working life as a forensic scientist in Victoria and New South Wales. His area of expertise centered on toxicology, drug analysis and chemical drug ‘intelligence’ and he gave evidence at several royal commissions into drug misuse and drug abuse. But after 35 years as a forensic scientist for…
Read MoreTrump ‘Rude’ Toward Australia (Letter to the Editor New York Times, 2017)
News that President Trump had some terse words to say to Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, over Australia’s refugee program during a recent phone call is deeply troubling. To add further insult, Mr. Trump apparently hung up abruptly. Apart from Britain, the United States has no stronger ally than Australia. While Mr. Trump’s knowledge of…
Read MoreFrom the Ashes (The Majellan Magazine, 2018)
Less than half a kilometre from the new Sheraton Hotel in Mlini, Croatia, are the blackened ruins of several bombed out hotels. Rubble, twisted metal and other debris litter the inside of the buildings that are now empty shells. Once thriving and attracting visitors from around the globe, these hotels on the Adriatic coast are…
Read MoreMy Grandfather (The Majellan Magazine, 2018)
My grandfather William Ahern (Papa Bill) travelled to England in 1917 to fight for the British empire. As fate would determine, he spent many months fighting but it wasn’t the type of combat he’d first envisaged when he set sail on the months-long voyage to the UK. The mud-sodden trenches on the Western Front were…
Read MoreSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
David B Ahern 