I attended the vigil "No More" related to domestic violence on Sunday, April 28, in the Victory Memorial Gardens, Wagga.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I attended in solidarity with women and to pay tribute to the women who have died at the hands of men through domestic violence.
As a man I found it quite harrowing. I can't travel in the shoes of women but I can endeavour to understand!
It did lead to a lot of self-reflection.
I think recognising there is a problem is the first step to solving it. Men need to self-reflect on the enormity of the problem.
The statistics are quite disturbing. One woman killed at the hands of a male partner every 4 days. This doesn't include those affected by this plague of horror.
This was brought into stark reality when I left the vigil and went to the supermarket and spoke to a woman at the checkout.
I told the woman that I had been to the vigil and the person said to me "been there done that. I sleep with a baseball bat next to my bed!" Scary! This is a real problem!
What can be done?
The first thing is to keep the faith that positive change can occur. If you believe in a higher being as I do pray!
Education is important, especially of young men to show alternative ways of behaving.
This is a societal problem. Issues such as inequality and unemployment need to be looked at.
Anger was expressed strongly at the vigil. I am "mad not sad". Understandable! However, anger is only useful if it leads to positive change.
More funding is obviously needed.
It would help if the media focused on the facts of violent acts rather than dramatise them and find examples from across the world. Focus on positive news..
The legal system needs to change in terms of the law including bail laws.
It is important for men and woman to work together on this. A group hug was mentioned at the vigil. Great Idea!
I am confident things can change.
Graeme Hanlon, Wagga
SO MANY QUESTIONS
Apropos Wagga's brumby boneyard ("No concerns at knackery", April 30) Senator Wes Fang succinctly summarised the concerns regarding the role of the RSPCA and some much earlier complaints which seem to have been dismissed by that 'animal welfare' organisation.
In what the senator called a "disgrace" he surmised that "If there are questions around one part of ... [the brumby cull and/or brumby re-homing, then] there should be questions around the whole of it."
Exactly, Mr Fang. If there are questions around the efficiency of the RSPCA in their inspection of a "knackery" (as the DA calls it) then their ability to monitor, in the sense of 'to minimise', animal suffering resulting from the more onerous difficulty of monitoring aerial shooting must be similarly questionable.
The same reasoning applies to the ability of WWCC to ever keep anything "in confidence" anymore. Council's GM, Peter Thompson, gave councillors a "confidential briefing" ("Horses slaughtered", DA April 18) presumably on April 15 of an enormous multi-governmental sting operation at the brumby boneyard. Some "Councillor released the information", according to the GM, about the operation.
All councillors are, thus, suspects. They don't seem to care about such a vile taint - which mystifies me; I would detest such a slur. Why is WWCC not rooting out a blabbermouth who jeopardised an inter-governmental sting?
To utilise Senator Fang's terms: "If there are questions around one part of... [Wagga Council's confidentiality, then] there should be questions around the whole of it." How hard is it to root out a rat?
Robert T. Walker, Wagga
BYPASS TIME WILL RUN OUT
What an exceptional letter from James Hamilton ("Inland Rail plans still not on the right track", April 27) in regard to the dangers inherent to the Inland Rail passing through the centre of our city.
It is obvious that those in charge of the development of Inland Rail are sticking to the original concept of the railway passing through Wagga regardless of the detrimental effect this will have on the people who live here.
As demonstrated by James Hamilton, road crossings and bridges will all be impacted by this poorly devised project.
It is time for all of us to heed the signs of disaster that the pushing of Inland Rail through our city centre will become.
Once again, thanks to James Hamilton for taking the time and effort to put the case so clearly for the bypassing of Wagga by the looming behemoth of bigger and faster trains.
Of one thing we can be sure, once the track comes through the city centre there will never be a bypass built to alleviate the urban trauma.
Maurice Corlett, Wagga
STOP EXTINCTION RATES
Australia has the highest plants and animals extinction rates in the world.
Urgent law reforms are needed to address Australia's extinction crisis.
Such reforms were strongly indicated to be enacted promptly by Prime Minister Albanese at the time of the last federal election.
To date the people of Australia still await a clear vision concerning how Australia's ever increasing animals and plants extinction rates will be dealt with.
In the meantime countless animals and plants will continue to add to extinction statistics.
Not good enough.
Brian Measday, Kingswood
HAVE YOUR SAY
Do you have something to get off your chest?
Send your letters to the editor to letters@dailyadvertiser.com.au, or simply click here to submit your letter.
You can also leave your comments directly on articles published on our website, dailyadvertiser.com.au. Simply scroll to the bottom of the story and let us know your thoughts on the issues of the day.