Hey o sung wu there are drop in centres for men, they just go by different names.

Sailing clubs, with some of the larger ones open daily are pretty good places for younger blokes to have a chat regularly. Some cater to us old past it lot fairly well too, & all need people to help run them.

For those who don't want too much togetherness, but do like a bit, they are called car clubs. There are a host of them, catering to different people, just as different cars cater to different people.

I belong to the Triumph club in Qld. We have a monthly meeting night, a couple of Sunday drives in company, & a coffee night, so you can be quite involved or only a little. The same applies here too, car clubs are always short of people prepared to do background work.

If you need company take on a job as magazine editor, or secretary if you really want to be busy.

I find it rather amusing to drive an orphan. It can be fun convincing the young lady at the auto insurance company, that there once was a company called Triumph, that built cars, not just motor bikes.

Big Nana,

You have reinforced the whole point. 'Racism' in Australia is a construct of the Left rabble-rousers. I have been called a white 'c..t' by a black person, who had probably been slurred in reverse by a white person. There is racism everywhere, in pockets, and in isolated cases. But, it is not endemic. It is not common. Particularly, I would suggest, in Australia, where people of all races and colours have lived together for decades. I don't care what people look like as long as they are good people and good Australians, no matter their background. The Left, in general, and taxpayer funded organisations like SBS and ABC are quite evil in their intent. They should be heavily censured and de-funded.

" There is racism everywhere, in pockets, and in isolated cases. But, it is not endemic."
Maybe SBS agrees?

runer
"They are yet to learn that Islam is not a race".and :
."Kevin Andrews tried to warn pig headed liberals about consequences of allowing so many Sudanese refugees. He was mocked and labelled racist. Malcolm Fraser was warned about the trouble Lebanese muslims would cause".
Sudan and Lebanon don't refer to races but types of cheese.

Hi Big Nana,

I agree, it's been a long time since I've heard anybody racially abused. Although I do recall, living up on the mission/reserve/community, being called 'red-hole' by a group of kids when the term was in fashion. I usually answered good-naturedly 'black-hole'. But name-calling is such a pissy part of the nature of racism: there are far worse forms.

For example, what might a leftist call an Aboriginal person who is qualified for, and striving to get and keep a mainstream job ? Behind his/her eyes, would he/she be thinking: 'Co----t' ? and devalue that person as Aboriginal (AND as a graduate: double whammy) ? That sort of racism, in the hands of a pig-ignorant bureaucrat, can destroy people, not just their careers. And, with more than forty thousand Indigenous graduates now, overwhelmingly in mainstream fields, I suspect that there is a lot of it around.

Best wishes and love to all your families,

Joe

Hi there BIG NANA...

A really nice contribution you've made on the subject Big NANA. I wonder whether the word 'racism' is correct in this instance. I know during my years in the police, racism, intolerance or even bigotry or any other description you might care to employ was pretty full on. Especially among the younger uniform members, and then only in and about the privacy of the station or our M/V's. It was more of a derogatory description of the various religions, rather than purely on an individual's ethnicity.

Perhaps the term racism is incorrect, though the precise description given in the Oxford English Lexicon, is clear. Very few of the coppers I've met and worked with when I was a relieving sergeant in the bush, spoke or acted in a truly prejudicial way towards our blacks. Sure in the process of a good stink a lot of swearing and adjectives were used but rarely language that could be considered raciest. Perhaps I'm wrong, I've been retired for awhile now ? Anyhow, thank you for your contribution.

G'day the HASBEEN...

You're perfectly correct, but I think our mutual friend was referring more to a similar service that was hitherto, previously offered to Veterans by the 'Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service'. Where we could enter a programme (Veteran specific) for PTSD, or quick tempers and violence, excessive alcohol use, etc etc. I undertook the in-patient PTSD programme run by the Repat Hospital. Thereafter we initially needed to have, weekly visits at the VVCS gradually tapering off to fortnightly and finally monthly. Most of the blokes achieved substantial benefits from it, notwithstanding the opening of some really ugly old wounds, completely concealed since the end of their tours.

I can't see why a similar clinical facility couldn't be made available for all adult men, personally ?