White ribbon walk in Sydney 2012. SJ Dodgson. MJoTA 2014 v8n1 p0201
On a perfect spring day in November 2012, I woke early, in the house where I lived from ages 9 to 22, and as soon as I was washed and hydrated, slung my cameras over my shoulder and walked as fast as I could up High Street, between Randwick Racecourse on my left and University of New South Wales on my right, which awarded me my 2 degrees, and headed to the park in between the roads in front of Prince of Wales Hospital, where my father had worked and where he died, and the Royal Pub.
For the 2 weeks I had been in Sydney, escaping the north east United States after Superstorm Sandy, I had seen banners all over the Eastern suburbs, proclaiming that day the annual White Ribbon Walk. The annual walk organized by New South Wales police to stop violence against women.
The road from the Royal Pub down to Coogee beach is steep, and it was covered with walkers, including Australia's First Bloke, who was the boyfriend of Australia's first non-white-male prime minister. The Prime Minister lost her job about 6 months after this walk.
If you watch the video carefully you can see me. Right at the end I am walking down a hill putting on a hat. And earlier standing, listening to the top cop explain that the main crimes in New South Wales are wives and girlfriends being beaten up. Or killed. "Blue sky, " he said, between domestic violence and all other crimes.
