Dear Paulie,

what happened 50 years ago today was a terrible part of war.

These lines are intended to be sung to the tune of Waltzing Matilda:

War Is A Killer. War Is A Killer.

Berbunyi merdeka atau mati.

And their ghosts can be heard in all our talk of Balibo.

War Is A Killer Where Youth Dies Of Greed

Could we make Timor Leste’s National Press Freedom Day the time for a commitment to freedom in song?

WHO CAN HELP US SING OF WAR’S HORRORS THE WAY THEY NEED TO BE SUNG?

Geoff Fox, October 16, 2025, Melbourne, Australia