Thursday, April 27, 2006

The return of Private Kovco

If the price you have to pay to give the PM a personal spray is to have your dead soldier husband's body lost in transit in Kuwait, maybe I'll pass.

From here:

'Private Jake Kovco's body was expected to arrive in Melbourne early this morning on commercial flight from Kuwait.

However, a mix-up has seen the wrong casket loaded on the plane.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, who was due to meet the plane with the family of Private Kovco, says it is a terrible and unacceptable mistake, which will be thoroughly investigated.

... The Defence Minister says when he learnt of the mistake he flew to Sale, in south-east Victoria, to inform Private Kovco's widow of the error.

He says Prime Minister John Howard also spoke to Mrs Kovco about the mix-up last night.

"Mrs Kovco said, 'I would like to speak to the Prime Minister'. So I said, 'I'll arrange it'," he said.

"I rang the Prime Minister, I got through, I said 'I am with Mrs Kovco ... she would like to speak to you Prime Minister', he took the call and yes she gave him an earful in a polite Australian way, but he got the message."'

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Kovco's mother is reported in today's SMH, "Mrs Kovco said her son had been a deer hunter from a young age."

Perhaps there is something in karma.

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

I have sufficiently radical views on the rights of animals to know not to join in jokey discussions about it at places like LP, Ron, so I too was more than a bit jolted by this revelation. But I am still very, very sorry for the poor sod, whatever the circs of his death, and particularly sorry for his ma.

Unknown said...

Yes, after posting the comment I had moments of doubt but as a hardcore animal rights activist, what I said is how I feel.

I can't imagine the horror his mother is going through. For once, I hope this govt has the spine to be truthful for once and quickly, very quickly.

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

I don't know if you've read Hannibal, the Thomas Harris sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, but there's a definitely-karma epsiode in that -- venegeance is taken by no less that Haninibal Lecter himself -- and when I first saw the words 'deer hunter' in that news report, the Harris book was the first thing I thought of. Couldn't help myself.

Have you read Elizabeth Costello?

Unknown said...

No to Elizabeth Costello but I just reserved it at the library (I have almost finished cataloging my books at LibraryThing.com and am now forbidden by a greater power to buy anymore).

Unknown said...

I am so weak!! I just bought a mint condition first edition hardcover copy via abebooks.com.

You will be hearing from my wife!! ;-)

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

Oops.

Unknown said...

Confession time: I just ordered Coetzee's Youth as well.

You can only die once.