Women verbally abusing other women, but why?

I WONDER if the women of Canberra have noticed a marked rise in the amount of street abuse they receive from other women, typically middle aged?

In the past week, I have been twice verbally abused in public, both times when I was acting in complete privacy. The first, on public transport, when a bus route went down the wrong road; I alerted the driver (I was right), but a toothless female passenger yelled out that I was a “stupid [name-of-afemale-dog]”.

And then in the car park of an animal hospital, collecting the ashes of my recentlydeceased pet, another middle-aged woman who had just blocked my and another vehicle’s access with her own car (I said nothing, but patiently waited for her to unblock access), screamed (yes!) at me over the car park because I did not speak with her, yelling: “I am apologising, you [name-of-afemale-dog]!”

In both cases, I had zero interactions with either of these females, but they hurled disgusting abuse in public, to someone they do not know (me).

I hold a doctoral degree and my career is dedicated to advocating for women in professional fields. It seems that many women in the ACT community are appallingly misogynistic, themselves.

How sad that some in Canberra’s middle-aged female population should behave in this way. Even more regrettable that Canberra’s hard-working women such as myself, should be subjected to this gutterlevel abuse, in the streets, by other women.

Is it too much, to walk out one’s own door, mind one’s own business, and be treated with respect on the street? In Canberra, of all places?

Natasha Bourne, via email

Do we still hold the Japanese to account?

JOEL Pearce and Patricia Watson (Letters, CN February 9) bring up the same tired, old ideas about changing the date of Australia Day. Don’t they realise that the change of date would do nothing to dispel the anti-Australia Day, anti-colonial, anti-white, race-baiting, self-hating activists that would never be happy having Australia Day regardless of the date?

Our parliament is a product of the British Westminster system that obviously we would not have if it was not for the arrival of the First Fleet. It is the fairest, democratic, respected, safest type of government in the world. I am surprised they did not mention Federation Day nor the ridiculous suggestion of May 8 (mate).

Invasion Day? Fifteen hundred people, half of them in chains and irons sailing into Sydney Harbour on 11 rickety old ships no bigger than a Sydney ferry, who had spent the last eight months battling the ocean including the roaring forties, responsible for many shipwrecks along the south-west coast of Australia and Tasmania. Half a million natives apt at spear throwing and a familiarisation of the country.

Compare that to February 19, 1942 when 242 Japanese aircraft attacked Darwin dropping more bombs than on Pearl Harbour, killing at least 235 people and continuously bombing northern Australia until November 1943.

Japan bombed Australia on 97 occasions between 1942 and 1943. In May/June 1942 Sydney Harbour came under attack from Japanese midget submarines. HMAS Kuttabul was hit and sank resulting in 21 sailors dying and the Australian hospital ship AHS Centaur was torpedoed and sank off Point Lookout, Queensland, resulting in the loss of 268 innocent lives.

Do we still hold the Japanese to account for events that happened only 70 years ago? What about the Germans, too?

As for the term First Nations, why use a word without legal definition that Canadians invented and considering Australia was not a nation until 1901 how are they the first?

Whether you like colonialism or not it is a huge part of our history and is the main reason why we live in the Australia we have today. January 26, 1788, no Aboriginals were harmed and there are plenty of stories of a shared history between the original European settlers/ convicts and Aboriginals that many of the activists don’t want to know about.

January 26, 1824, was also the date of the first union/marriage between an Aboriginal

Australian and a European Australian. How many people know that?

Ian Pilsner, Weston

Then there’s February 6…

FEBRUARY 7 has been suggested by Patricia Watson (Letters, CN February 9) as an appropriate alternate date for Australia Day. Good idea, but I prefer the day before; February 6, the day the female convicts in the ships of the First Fleet were brought ashore.

Arthur Bowes-Smyth (surgeon on the Lady Penrhyn) reported that when the women reached the shore: “The Men Convicts got to them very soon after they landed, and it is beyond my abilities to give a just description of the Scene of Debauchery & Riot that ensued during the night”.

Given our national predilection for re-enactments, the opportunities for celebration seem endless.

Malcolm Murray, Garran

Libs: Get behind decriminalisation

ON February 9, Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee gave the ACT government a nudge to better address the shameful situation she described of “one in 10 of Canberrans living in poverty including 9000 children”.

She was right to then observe that,

“whatever the ACT Labor/Greens government is doing is not working”.

You could help, Ms Lee, if you got your party behind decriminalisation. Doing so eliminates a potent driver of disadvantage that the criminalisation of drug use and possession represents. The prospect of arrest and prosecution compounds the common co-occurring mental health and complex psychosocial problems like poverty, homelessness and unemployment that people with a substance dependency often experience.

Bill Bush, Turner

Young tradie’s ‘beautiful’ act of kindness

I WISH to acknowledge a beautiful random act of kindness shown to me on February 2 at the 7/11 petrol station in Holt.

After filling up my car with petrol, $72.12, I proceeded to the checkout to pay. Unfortunately, unbeknown to me my credit card had been blocked, and after several attempts to pay, I became very upset.

I approached the service station attendant, who told me a young tradesman had paid the account for me.

I pleaded with him to give me his personal details, however he refused, saying to accept it as a random act of kindness.

I feel very privileged to have met this young man, who was so generous.

Colleen

Thornton, via email

BREIFLY Trivia night helps to fight dementia

2CC’s breakfast personality Stephen Cenatiempo will host the Dementia Demolition Squad’s trivia night at the Canberra Deakin Football Club on March 4 to raise funds for dementia research. Tickets are $35 and include finger food and a lucky door prize ticket. Organisers promise a raffle, auctions, surprises and, of course, the quiz itself. The Dementia Demolition Squad is a fundraiser for Neuroscience Research Australia and annually sponsors a PhD student specifically researching Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Book via trybooking.com by February 27.

Incontinence strategies

WOMEN of all ages are invited to attend a free pelvic workshop focused on education and self-help strategies for continence problems. Presented by a physiotherapist from Canberra Health Services, it will be held at the Tuggeranong Community Health Centre, 5pm-7.30pm, March 7. Book at 5124 9977.

Free Italian classes

THE Dante Alighieri Society of Canberra is running new Saturday morning Italian courses for primary school children at Yarralumla Primary School beginning on March 4. Two classes of up to 15 children each will be offered, initially catering respectively for students aged 6-10 years and 11-14. The two initial classes will be free until the second school term. More at danteact.org.au or email danteschool@danteact.org.au