Yes, yes, we know, it's just an old pals' act! But once again, the King, (with a little help from his government advisors) has created the New Year's Honours List. And regardless of all the back chat, we're always interested to know who got included!
We're glad to see Gareth Southgate's name there! We’re both admirers of the English football manager not only for what he achieved but the way in which he went about it. In a highly competitive and often cynical environment, he seems to have maintained his dignity throughout and recognised the importance of fair play. We were also glad to see the athlete Keely Hodgkinson appropriately honoured for overcoming so many other health challenges before finally winning 800m Gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
There were awards for a lot of other people in the public eye - in sport, the arts, media though the vast majority are entirely unknown to the general public. Many of these recipients are recognised for exceptional service and community work, often unsung heroes. We may object to the cronyism dimension of the honours system and its roots in the days of empire. But it is still no bad thing in some way to acknowledge publicly the outstanding contribution that some people make to the public good.
On our list would have been Carol Cadwallader, Observer journalist, for fearless and intelligent investigative journalism into tyranny of all kinds, sometimes in the face of ongoing threats to her own safety. Recognised for her work in understanding violence by being chosen as this year’s Reith Lecturer, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Dr Gwen Adshead would certainly be on our list for a royal ‘gong’.
On a lighter note, we’re a bit late in recognising actor, writer and theatre director, Sir Mark Rylance but we’d certainly give him another award for his contribution to the final series in the ‘Wolf Hall’ trilogy, ‘The Mirror and the Light’ focusing on the life of the Tudor fixer, Thomas Cromwell. So understated. So much conveyed with just the slightest facial movements! And Mike would recognise the cricketer Harry Brook, whose batting has brought a youthful exuberance to England's performance. And some welcome victories for England, for a change!
Our own local unsung heroes are our close family who all deserve awards for their loving support to us! But we’d also give a gong to Jan who offered us patient and specific professional medical advice out of hours but at a vital time. Another recipient would be our neighbour Val who responded promptly to our street WhatsApp message with the loan of a TENS machine when Mike was in a lot of pain and our second new machine turned out to be faulty. She represents the helpful spirit of the people on our street where small kindnesses are an almost daily occurrence. People who help us in the house and garden with care and real humanity, people going beyond the call of paid duty are becoming more important with the increase in the numbers of jobs we find taxing.
So many people, near and far, with a vast array of giftedness and unwavering levels of generosity, who have helped to keep us going in a difficult year.
We salute you all and wish you a Happy New Year!
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