Speech at Kerwyn's and Amanda's Wedding

Relatives, both new and old, and friends.

My wife Yokelin and I thank all of you for joining us in this happy celebration of the
marriage of our elder son Kerwyn to Amanda, the elder daughter of Harry and Tanya
Stephens.

Indeed, some of our relatives have even come a long way from interstate and
overseas to share our joy.

We are delighted to welcome Amanda into our family. She is an excellent match for
Kerwyn, and in more ways than many of you can imagine.

Yokelin and I, being inheritors of a congenial amalgam of Confucianist morals, the
Judaeo-Christian ethic and the European Enlightenment, have tried with some
success to insinuate our two sons Kerwyn and Lyndon with the ideals and values of
these cultures.

It is quite a burden to place on young shoulders, you know -- with shame for
breaching the eastern norms, and guilt for breaching the western.

Dinner table conversations were among our subtle instruments of indoctrination.

Our hope was that our sons would mature into compassionate young men,
considerate but impatient with social injustice, and jealous of political freedoms.

However, it is an observed fact that a spouse has an enormous influence on one's
options.

So we lived in the constant anxiety that the quite good work we have done in raising
Kerwyn may be quickly undone should he choose as his lifetime partner someone
whose values were incoherent with ours.

To our enormous relief this anxiety evaporated when we go to know Amanda well.
When and how did this happen?

Nearly two years ago Amanda joined Kerwyn and us for dinner at home.

At some point Kerwyn expressed an opinion on the politics of medicine in this
country.

I might add that Kerwyn and Lyndon were often eager to offer opinions at the
dinner table even when they teenagers on matters about which we thought they
knew very little.

Especially when they were teenagers.

Well, at this dinner Amanda disagreed with Kerwyn, chiding him for not being
compassionate enough.

After a vigorous discussion Kerwyn conceded.

We were delighted.

Here, we thought, is a reflective woman who will ensure that our son will always
have the kind of conscience that we treasure.

This is a union that Yokelin and I bless with our heart and soul.

To our new relatives Harry and Tanya Stephens, congratulations on raising a
marvellous girl, who is now our daughter-in-law.

Yokelin and I have always wanted a daughter, and now we have one. And a sister
for Lyndon too.

For Kerwyn and Amanda we make this devout wish -- that your marriage be
a stimulating and enriching adventure, buttressed with strong bonds of love and
mutual support.

Speech at Lyndon's and Petahn's Wedding

Relatives both, old and new, and friends:

My wife Yokelin and I thank all of you for joining us in this happy
celebration of the marriage of our younger son Lyndon to Petahn, the
elder daughter of Reece and Sonja McKenna.

Special thanks to those relatives who have come from afar -- June
Cheah and Tom Watters.

We are delighted to welcome Petahn into our family. She complements
Lyndon in ways that are very reassuring for us, and we are sure you will
agree that they make a lovely couple.

Yokelin and I have endeavored to raise our sons Kerwyn and Lyndon so
that they will become responsible adults, imbued with compassion for
the underdog.

We instilled in them old-fashioned Judeo-Christian morality, leavened
with our Confucianist traditions, all tempered by the Western
Enlightenment.        Unsurprisingly, a large component of their
temperaments and attitudes reflect these influences.

On many occasions, as the boys were growing up, our earnest efforts
must have been quite trying for them.

Sometimes Lyndon would betray his exasperation with exhortations like
"Get with it Mom" and "Get real Dad".       Consequently, Yokelin is now
very much "with it", and I am very "real" these days.

A measure of parental success in upbringing is surely the wisdom with
which our children select their partners for life.

By this measure we have done well with Lyndon.         He has chosen in
Petahn a young woman who has given him a stability and focus that are
comforting.

While Yokelin was indeed gratified that Lyndon matured so quickly once
he met Petahn, I became somewhat anxious at his new-found intensity.

I fear overweening ambition -- the kind that leads to hubris.

As we got to know Petahn well, we were very pleased when it became
evident that   besides having clear goals in life she also shares our
values.

I therefore asked Petahn a year ago the following: "Can you please
ensure that Lyndon will never take any moral shortcuts in his career and
relationships?"

To my great relief she replied, "I will surely do that; but your fears are
really unfounded, for I believe that Lyndon will never be so tempted!"

Reece and Sonja -- your daughter is a great credit to you, and it is
Lyndon's good fortune that she married him.

Petahn is the second daughter we have always wanted -- Amanda,
Kerwyn's wife, being the first.

These two ladies of exquisite breeding amply fulfilled Yokelin's and my
hopes that our sons would make highly discerning choices in marriage
partners.

To Lyndon and Petahn: your good karma is now ascendant; build on it
with understanding, love and mutual support.

No passage through life can be always placid, but your commitment to
each other will abate all storms.

May your union be blessed with joy and contentment.