http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/maj-gen-mike-keating/ Michael Keating was born in Albury, NSW in 1945 and educated in Hobart and Brisbane. He entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in 1964 and graduated in 1967, being awarded the Sword of Honour. He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and posted to the 4th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, where he served for three years, including operational duty in South Vietnam. Subsequently he served in a variety of command, training and staff appointments. His appointments have included periods as an exchange instructor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom; as an instructor at the Australian Command and Staff College, Queenscliff and as Colonel (Operations) Headquarters Logistic Command, Melbourne. His command experience includes command of the 2nd/4th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment 1982-1984; ; Commander 1st Division 1994 to 1996; and Commander Training Command (Army) 1996 to 1999. Mike was promoted to the rank of Major General in June 1994 and served in that rank as Commander 1st Division, Commander Training Command (Army) and Head, Strategic Command, Australian Defence Headquarters in 1999 and 2000 during the major ADF deployment to East Timor. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in June 1993 in recognition of his service as Commander 3rd Brigade and as an Officer in June 2000 for distinguished service to the ADF and to the Australian Army in high level command and staff appointments. He was retired in January 2001 after 37 years service. Since then Mike has contributed to the community in a voluntary capacity working with a college at the University of Queensland, his local neighbourhood residents’ association, and a Sudanese refugee family living in Brisbane. He is an accredited practicing mediator, and worked part-time for a time with the Queensland Department of Justice. More recently, his work for the ARM has meant he has had to discontinue performing this role. In his leisure time, Mike has enjoyed renovating the family’s 100 years old Queenslander, trying to improve his golf and being a companion to his Bassett Hound , Arnold. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-is-australia-waiting-for-the-queen-to-die/ It is always a bit shocking when nominal republicans, usually those in public life, suggest we should delay making Australia a truly independent nation. We understand why they do it – most politicians would probably much rather leave the republic issue in the too-hard basket – but still we find it quite perplexing. An Australian republic, after all, is our Australian issue. It is about us as a nation, as a people. As such, we can and should grasp it whenever we summon the national will to do so. Can you seriously imagine a citizen of the USA agreeing to a foreign national serving as the Head of State of the USA? Or of a German agreeing to a French national being at the apex of their constitutional arrangements? Either possibility is, of course, unimaginable. Unfortunately, this is precisely the situation we have here in Australia today. We calmly accept that the eldest son of an English / German aristocratic family, who must be a member of the Church of England, sits by birthright – without regard to accomplishment – at the top of our constitutional tree. It almost seems as if we agree with Prince Andrew who recently claimed that it was in the Windsor genes to lead. Do we really think that in egalitarian Australia? Of course not. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Maj Gen Mike Keating) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-is-australia-waiting-for-the-queen-to-die/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-is-australia-waiting-for-the-queen-to-die/#item4170 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 19:50:43 +0000 Maj Gen Mike Keating | Author bios | The Punch