How do you come to this conclusion "For the record, almost everybody associated with the ritual community killing of the last man in Australia, Ronald Ryan, is still traumatised by it."
Because I have read extensively about it and heard many first hand interviews from those that were there - mainly reporters, priests and police. Last year on ABC radio a writer and historian on the subject was interviwed and he said that the first thing out of the presiding judge's mouth (Starke I think) when he interviewed him recently was a question - "Do you think I did the right thing?"
Also good reading is The Life of Pierrepoint - the famous UK hangman, if you want some perspective on the brutality of hanging.
You and I are not traumatised because we weren't there when they hanged him.
