Stomping One's feet!
Posted: 20 May 2005, 17:18
Well, the kids came in home today, complaining about some grumpy old man shouting at them - for riding their bikes on a piece of grass, down a small embankment. So, after listening to the story and checking out the grassed area they were on, I decided there was a need to file a complaint to the orderly officer. Turns out the old grumpy bloke is the camp commandant, and the orderly officer is too scared to speak to him directly. Instead he's going to take the advice of the Adjutant on Monday morning (if he actually does anything). So, I expect at some point next week I'll be accosted by the Adjutant or RSM and torn-off a strip for filing a complaint. He even claims they damaged his daffodils, but the children remain adamant they did not damage the flowers. I have also informed the orderly officer the children are prepared to pay out of their own pockets for the flowes to be replaced by way of an apology for straying onto his garden unintentionally, having surveyed the area in question the children could quite easily have mistaken it for just another piece of turfed area. It is not obvious that it belongs to anyone immediately, and can only be discovered as such once going through the bushline at the bottom of that area. He gave them no chance to apologise or explain themselves, and simply sent them packing saying - tell your father your not allowed on here I'm General Such-and-Such. His wife added to the shouting match, so you can understand how the kids felt. This is all not to say I don't understand where the old fart was coming from - because I do, but if I can get arrested for abusing children verbally who are messing around outside my house, then the rules remain for him. No matter who he is.
