Editorial – Janaury 2009

There was a time when a man’s word was his bond. There was no going back from the commitment. No matter the inconvenience, hardship, cost or effort involved, that honest man would keep his promise.

In today’s casual climate things are not so certain.  With technology able to make silk purses out of sow’s ears and fools out of all of us, even the camera cannot be relied on to reveal the truth.

So it is refreshing to find that a culture of integrity still exists and indeed, on occasion, is recognised and rewarded.

In the New Year Honours List, people such as Aileen McGlynn, the blind cyclist and her pilot guide Ellen Hunter, set us a shining example. Their trust in each other’s commitment has won them gold several times at the Beijing Olympics and now they have been made Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Previously they were humble Members of that Order.

And it is worth keeping in mind they make those promises on training, training and training entirely for themselves. There is no public pressure for them to commit to the punishing schedule to attain and stay at that high level of endeavour. And there is no public salary to do it either.