| I just watched a current Affairs show here called �60 Minutes�. The key story tonight, among other things was the murder of little Samantha Knight, in Bondi. This beautiful 9-year-old girl went missing back in �86 and was never seen again. Recently, a man confessed to her murder. This man is a Michael Guider (not sure of spelling), who is currently incarcerated in Goulbourn Jail. He is a convicted pedophile who has also been charged with 66 offences against 11 different children. He was prone to drugging the kids and then taking photographs of them in sexually explicit positions. This man was a predator, and I can only be grateful he is now off the streets. However, there was one aspect of the story that I wasn�t impressed with. Michael Guider was convicted of Samantha�s murder and given a jail sentence. He claims that he accidentally overdosed the child when he drugged her. However, he will be out in just 12 short years. How is it fair that this animal, who took a little girls life, gets less for the crime than Samantha lived? How is it fair, that this�person, for want of a better word, is free to walk the streets after serving relatively little time when a girl will never go home to her mother? Where is the justice in the Australian judicial system? To add to Tess Knight�s pain, is the fact that she doesn�t even have a grave for her daughter. This brave mother wrote to her daughter�s killer in the hope that he would tell her where Samantha�s remains are, so she can finally lay her daughter at rest. He told her that he�d buried Samantha in the Kirribilli Yacht Club, where he was a gardener. Months later, when he noticed construction, he went back and dug her up, �disposing� of her body in a nearby dumpster. That poor mother. Tess possibly gave up hope of Samantha coming home a long time ago, yet now she can�t even bury her child and have a place to visit her. I hope Guider remembers what he did, the rest of his life. I hope it haunts him. I know some of you will think this goes against another of my posts � the one about the death penalty. But, you will notice, I said nothing of the death penalty in here. I do not think all convicted criminals are innocent. I agree that they should pay for their crimes, especially ones as horrific as this. However, I don�t believe he should die. I believe Guider should be left to think about his crime and left to rot in jail. I do believe, though, that the Australian judicial system is far too lenient on these poor excuses for humans. There is a case currently happening in Adelaide, my town. A group of men were charged with murdering a number of people. They put their bodies in barrels of acid in a disused bank in a country town. It hasn�t been said much in the media, but the �victims� were members of a pedophilia ring. Sorry, but I don�t see the problem. Child murderers and pedophiles are the lowest of the low, and if there are less on the streets, well I think we should all be happy about it. It means that, at least, there are less predators walking around, preying on the kids in our society. Give the �murderers� a medal, and let them out of jail. They dispensed the perfect justice. |
| Samantha Knight... |
| Volunteer Work... |
| There is an organisation in Australia called "LifeLine". It was invented in the 60's by a man in Sydney. The idea of Lifeline is to provide 24 hour phone counselling service to anyone that needs it, for the price of a local call. Lifeline provides trained counsellors only a phone call away. It is staffed almost entirely by volunteers and is a not-for-profit organisation. They don't have that many people working for them though, and sometimes, the phones go unanswered. I heard that Lifeline were looking for volunteers early this year and decided to go along to the information session. It was something I had wanted to look into for about 4 years. It was only halfway through the info session that my mind was made up. I was going to do it. Or at least, I'd try. Many years ago, during the break up of my marriage, I called them. I had already made my decision, so I wasn't looking for answers. I just wanted someone to talk to that wasn't right in the middle of things - my family was too close. The woman I spoke to was wonderful. She didn't pass judgement on me, and she just listened. She helped more than she can ever know, and I only wish I could tell her. She is the reason I decided to join. They ask for a two year committment, and it's pretty in depth. First, you go through an 18 week training session, where they teach you what to say and what not to say on the phones. Lifeline is all about letting the caller make the decisions about their life - not the counsellor. After the training session, you go into what's called an Apprentice Telephone Counsellor. That basically means that you are supervised on the phones, for a minimum of 25 hours. Then, you're fully qualified and you're on your own. I am now in my 17th week of training - one more week and I'm onto the phones. This is bringing about a mixed bag of feelings. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm nervous. What kind of calls am I going to answer? Will I help people that so desperately need it? Will I make things worse for them? On the other hand though, I'm glad I'm finally doing it. It's something I've wanted for a long, long time and I finally feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. I'm helping someone. But the reason for this piece on here isn't to blow my own trumpet. I'd like to recommend that anyone that has the time, joins into some sort of volunteer work. There may not be a Lifeline where you are, but there is surely something that you can lend a hand to. There are plenty of volunteer services, all over the place, that would be grateful for the help. It doesn't take that much time out of your busy week. Surely you can spare a little to help others? It may be something that you need at some time. If you need a selfish reason to do volunteer work, it looks great on a resume. But more importantly, you're giving something back to the community. Something that will possibly help others more than you will ever know. |
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| Music selected is Madonna's "I'll remember" |