The awful news re Ron Brierley kept incoming calls going to midnight, Aussies forgetting the 2-hour time difference.
What to say? Frankly everyone is speechless.
The crime is horrendous and I don’t make light of it, but it’s also a terrible denouement to a unique individual’s career.
It will doubtless surprise but I felt the same re George Pell. I loathe religion and specially his brand and disliked him intensely when he was the top dog in Sydney, for his unabashed arrogance. But, like many others who hold similar views I’m deeply uncomfortable about his conviction. It’s based substantially on hearsay and a single, apparently impressive witness.
Two women journalists have written books on Pell in the last year. A fortnight back I read the latest. What was clear was she set out from the beginning to nail him. In my view she failed and I’m picking he will win his final appeal.
Ron however, is undoubtably doomed. We were great friends in the 1960s and 70s but grew apart in the mid-80s share market heyday.
I’ve seen him once in the last 25 years when I ran across him in London, but I’m on his ‘birthday’ list. That is he writes annually to me on my birthday with a clearly personal letter, reminiscing about past humorous incidents and such-like. Replying elicits no further response.