Australian Lakonians are warriors and united as one

Abalinx 13 December 2016 Peter Adamis

The ancient Lakonians were a conglomeration of families that dotted the Lakonian countryside in ancient Greece. They became organised under the banner of the Spartans who were drawn from the families that dotted the Lakonian landscape.  A copy of the article may be downloaded by clicking on: AUSTRALIAN LAKONIANS ARE WARRIORS AND UNITED AS ONE

It is true that the Dorians ventured into the Eurotas furrow and settled amongst the remnants of the Mycenaean population that were at the time indigenous to the area.  The Dorians did not come as destroyers as previously believed as evidence now clearly demonstrates that they came with their families from the far north as shepherds.   It would take some hundred years or so for the Dorians to intermingle, marry and create a new class of warriors under the leadership of the warrior officer class, the Spartans. 

Sparta itself if memory serves me correctly is a product of some five families living near the banks of the Eurotas River, raising their families and living in peace with their neighbours. Their nearest indigenous population was located at Amyclae some few miles south of Sparta itself and over time both the Dorian and the Mycenaeans belief systems became one. The Dorians in their quest for new pastures bypassed Pellana which was the time of the Dorian wanderings the Administrative capital of Lakonian as it was known then. 

However with the collapse of the known Mycenaean world, it was natural that the Dorians took over the administrative, security, defence and economics of the region.  The legendary Lycurgus set the laws down for the Spartans and then promptly disappeared in order that the Spartans did not change the laws. This was smart politics on the part of Lycurgus as he knew well the psyche of his people and their quarrelsome ways at finding solutions.

Suffice to say the Spartans grew in power and their hunger for land to accommodate their growing appetites knew no bounds.  Coveting their neighbours land through cunning, guile, forced assimilation, diplomacy and integration policies, using force of arms only and if there was a minimum of risk to their way of life. Their greatest threat was disunity and their greatest strength was their fear of the law. Both of these would be manipulated by strong men throughout the 300 hundred years or so of Spartan supremacy.  Remember that the Spartans were the only ones out of all the Greek City states that did not follow alexander the Great on his conquest of the known world at the time. Alexander knew that he could not win them over by force, guile or diplomacy as the Spartans were a proud people not willing to hand the leadership in battle to another

Much of what is written above is my point of view based on the information I have read, seen and visited the ruins of an ancient era. But one will wonder what has this today with Lakonians are warrior and not dancers.  The thrust of my blade is to cut through the Gordian knot that has tangled all Lakonians living in Australia and once again demonstrate that we Australian Lakonians do not need an Alexander the Great to cut that Gordian knot. Wise heads mingle and talk together over a beer, a glass of wine, coffee, a meal, a telephone conversation, visits to ones homes and in today’s world of technology, social media and new media play their part to bring about a realisation of what the best course of action needs to be taken.

It is well known that the Pallaconian Brotherhood Dance group over the years has always been sought after to dance at major events and to provide the entertainment of visual excellence by the dancing prowess of the dancers.   This is a good thing and needs to be encouraged without the interference of others who believe that they and they alone have the right to dictate to management how they are to represent the Brotherhood.  The Committee of Management have been endowed with that responsibility and it is they who pay for the upkeep and maintenance of the facilities that the Dance group enjoy. 

It reminds me of a story given to me by an old wise Australian Army Chaplin, who said to me the following:  Peter, Life is full of surprises and you don’t know what is going to happen from one day to the next.  Life is also like a billabong or a lagoon that is under the shade of a tree, stuck in amongst the forests or jungles of this nation. It remains undisturbed except for the occasional visit from animals that come to drink their thirst.

But then at one time or another, a force so great comes along that stirs up that pond, sending debris everywhere, creating confusion, while the fish if any survive do not know where to hide or where to shelter from this violence. Sand, leaves, tree roots, sticks, stones and other material lying on the Billabong/Lagoon floor are thrown all over the place.  Yet after a while the fury of the force whatever that may be subsides and eventually disappears, allowing the lagoon to settle and return to some semblance of its previous environment with one exception.  Nothing beneath the still waters of that billabong/lagoon will be in the same place as it was before.

Having said the above, the same applies to all those caught up in the recent so called Pallaconian Brotherhood Leonidas civil war saga. Life will return to normal, Services will continue, dance lessons under a new dance instructor, a new youth will emerge to replace those of yesteryear. The elderly will continue with their luncheons and meetings, people will come and go, reconciliations will occur, friendships will remain while in a few cases the bitterness of not getting ones way will be hard to swallow. But is not that what life is all about.  We move on to other pursuits that make us happy, go on another journey of life, make new friends, new alliances , join other groups and generally speaking get on with whatever life has in store for us.

As past President, I look forward to a time in the future when the Pallaconian Brotherhood Leonidas billabong/lagoon has settled and life returns to normal.  If asked whether I miss the Dance group, the answer is yes, but life will go on whether they wish to return or not is a decision that they and they alone will make without the influence of others.  Lessons have been learnt by all the stakeholders involved, bitter as they may be, but still life will continue leaving behind the negativity of bitter memories of a bygone era.  It’s the Australian Lakonian way.

As always, apologies to purists for my poor grammar and savagery of the English language. I wish you all well and hope that this article does not cause ambiguity in the minds of those who read it.

Peter Adamis is a Journalist/Social Media Commentator and writer. He is a retired Australian military serviceman and an Industry organisational & Occupational (OHS) & Training Consultant whose interests are within the parameters of domestic and international political spectrum.  He is an avid blogger and contributes to domestic and international community news media outlets as well as to local and Ethnic News.  He holds a Bachelor   of Adult Learning & Development (Monash), Grad Dip Occupational Health & Safety, (Monash), Dip. Training & Assessment, Dip Public Administration, and Dip Frontline Management. Contact via Email: [email protected] or via Mobile: 0409965538

 

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