Latest news with #JohnForeman
The Advertiser
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
From The Seekers to Neale Daniher: seeking the Aussies who make us proud
John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again. The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds. From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong. World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985. Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005. In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners. And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research. It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories. READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year? And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him. "It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said. "When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds. READ MORE "You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here." Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW "As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said. "Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired. "Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition." But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you. John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again. The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds. From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong. World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985. Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005. In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners. And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research. It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories. READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year? And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him. "It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said. "When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds. READ MORE "You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here." Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW "As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said. "Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired. "Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition." But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you. John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again. The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds. From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong. World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985. Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005. In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners. And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research. It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories. READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year? And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him. "It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said. "When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds. READ MORE "You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here." Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW "As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said. "Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired. "Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition." But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you. John Foreman quite likes to engage in a bit of time travel every now and again. The best way, according to the chair of the National Australia Day Council, is to cast his eye over past Australians of the Year, and marvel at the diversity of names and backgrounds. From elite athletes to anti-violence campaigners, doctors to disability advocates, artists to Indigenous elders, the list is a portrait of modern Australia, in any given year. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW Folk-pop group The Seekers took the honour back in 1967; four years later, it was Indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong. World War II hero Edward "Weary' Dunlop was in 1976, Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan came in 1985. Champion solo sailor Kay Cottee was honoured in 1988, leading painter Arthur Boyd in 1995 and plastic surgeon Fiona Wood in 2005. In 2019, two blokes who enjoyed cave diving found themselves at the centre of a legendary rescue mission of an entire soccer team, and were named joint winners. And the current Australian of the Year is former AFL player and coach Neale Daniher, an advocate for motor neurone disease research. It's a list that has told us about Australia at any given time, as do the winners in the Young Australian, Senior Australian and Local Hero categories. READ MORE: Who will you nominate for our next Australian of the Year? And, says Foreman, the list never fails to humble him. "It is really humbling to see the incredible work that is being done by so many people all around Australia," he said. "When you look at the cross section of Australians of the Year, and indeed the broad diversity of Australians who are represented across all four categories each year ... it's a really fantastic snapshot into Australia's cultural, scientific, artistic, sporting and charity and philanthropy worlds. READ MORE "You've got sports people, scientists, charity workers, leaders of communities, people have just given back. And it reminds the world what a great country we are - because of the amazing people that are here." Nominations are now open for the 2026 awards. They must be submitted before July 31. CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE NOW "As someone who grew up in the beautiful city of Newcastle, I'm particularly well aware of the fact that there are amazing people in every corner of the country, some of whom go unrecognised," Foreman said. "Some of the people who are nominated for Australian of the Year awards are already household names, like Neale Daniher, was obviously someone all Australians admired. "Other people who've been nominated are not necessarily household names, but they're people who've made a huge difference in their communities and they're people who their nominator has identified as someone who is worthy of recognition." But someone can only be a winner if they're nominated first - maybe by you.
The Guardian
14-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukraine ceasefire: how might an end to fighting be enforced?
Ending a war is seldom straightforward. Even agreeing to a ceasefire comes with complications. Though Ukraine signed up to a 30-day ceasefire proposal after discussions with the US in Jeddah this week, the joint statement between the two does not begin to explain how a halt in fighting might be enforced. 'Monitoring has to begin immediately,' says John Foreman, a former British defence attache to Moscow and Kyiv. 'If there's meant to be a 30-day ceasefire, the big question is whether it is adhered to.' Given Russia has a record of violating ceasefires and peace agreements, a robust process is critical. Recent history in Ukraine underlines the challenge. A dedicated Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission of as many as 1,000 people running dozens of unarmed vehicle patrols a day was responsible for monitoring the end of hostilities in Ukraine's eastern Donbas on both sides of the frontline as part of the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015. The OSCE, which represents 57 states in Europe, North America and central Asia, was chosen because Russia and Ukraine are both members. But it struggled to keep a lid on tensions, counting 486 civilian casualties and 400,000 ceasefire violations in 2017. Though that dropped to 91 casualties and 93,902 violations in 2021, it was less than two months later that Russia launched its full scale invasion. Samir Puri, an analyst with the Chatham House thinktank and a former OSCE monitor with the Ukraine mission, says the task is much greater now: 'In 2015, the OSCE was largely monitoring a shorter frontline in the Donbas, where the Ukrainian army was mostly facing separatist militias. Now the frontline is far longer, with two full militaries each with significant weapon systems at their disposal.' Modern technology – drones, airborne and satellite reconnaissance – makes ceasefire monitoring easier in 2025. Puri recalls that a decade ago, the OSCE mission had only four drones, which Russia-backed separatists 'would use for target practice now and again'. But while that may reduce the number of observers needed, it does not help with enforcement if a ceasefire is breached. A similar point was even made by the Russian president on Thursday. Who will control the ceasefire, Vladimir Putin asked rhetorically at a press conference in Moscow, when the front is 2,000km (1,243 miles) long? It could require several thousand monitors, able to communicate and deconflict across both sides of the contact line Though European countries, led by the UK and France, have talked about creating a 'reassurance force' to guarantee Ukraine's security in the event of a lasting peace, its organisers are emphatic that they are not troops who will enforce quiet at the front. 'They are not peacekeepers,' one said, describing instead a force that will secure Ukraine's airspace, sea lanes and critical infrastructure. Yet monitoring, Foreman argues, is essential for restraining and building confidence between once warring parties. 'You have to trust – and verify,' he says, adding: 'The problem is that, for Ukraine, ceasefire monitoring has very bad associations because of what happened after the Minsk agreements'. A poorly enforced ceasefire could easily lead to an outbreak of renewed fighting, he says. Given the history, it is probably unlikely that the OSCE will host a repeat monitoring initiative. The 2014 mission ended as a result of Russia's February 2022 invasion and its withdrawal of cooperation shortly after. An alternative might be for monitoring to take place under UN auspices, but that would require Russia to agree to a security council resolution to set it up. Puri wonders if there is another practical possibility, where a demilitarised zone is established on both sides of the current frontline (in Korea, where there has never been a peace agreement after the 1950 to 1953 war, it is 4km wide) and where Russia has its own parallel reassurance force composed of troops from 'broadly friendly countries' such as China, able to communicate with counterparts in Ukraine. Ultimately a lasting peace will only be possible if neither side tries to undermine it with acts of provocation and aggression. Some ceasefires, such as in Korea or Cyprus, have endured because neither side ultimately wanted to restart fullscale fighting. But Russia's hostility to Ukraine has been so great, and many believe Putin's long-term goal of dominating his country's neighbour remains unchanged. Despite that backdrop, it is not yet clear how the ceasefire proposed by the US would even be monitored to prevent or restrain violations. As Foreman concludes: 'There are so many obstacles that need to be dealt with before we can get to peace.'
