It was sexist, prejudiced and simply unacceptable
I HAVE been involved in local government in Bathurst for over two decades and I have never seen a more prejudiced and sexist editorial than that on John Fry (“Just what we need, another man for council”, July 8).
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As you know, I had the privilege of serving this community as an “independent” councillor for many years and have no connections with the “Greens”.
John Fry is an experienced practical conservationist who has considerable experience of helping young people to get jobs, a much needed skill set that is missing from all of the existing councillors.
It is completely unfair of you to assume that he is going to join the existing councillors in an “old boys club” if elected as he appears to have nothing in common with the existing councillors which will achieve the change that you appear to seek.
It is also unfair of you to suggest that any voter, young or old, who votes for John Fry will be any less well-represented than they were by a previous “greenie” (Tracey Carpenter) just because he is a man!
The people of Bathurst have been represented by three women mayors in recent times so women and their views have certainly not been overlooked despite “the old boys club”.
My extensive experience as a past councillor has taught me that while men can have policies that are bad for the citizens as a whole, so too can women under “equal opportunity”, and voters should be encouraged to vote according to policies and not on a gender basis.
Gordon Crisp, Bathurst
A rural medical school alone is not the answer
CHARLES Sturt University is to be congratulated on the success of its undergraduate training programs in dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy. These students graduate and are immediately ready for full employment.
Unfortunately, medical students graduate and still need four to 10 more years of supervised training before they are ready to practise.
This training should take place in a variety of settings to ensure a well-rounded experience leading to a full understanding of the multiple professional development skills and opportunities.
This was explained to Professor John Dwyer and Andrew Gee some years ago when Charles Sturt University was first promoting a medical school.
Their enthusiasm for increasing the rural medical workforce is appreciated, but experienced rural practitioners do not believe a rural medical school alone is the answer.
Training should be offered in rural areas throughout the whole undergraduate and post-graduate years.
About 30 years ago the Federal Government funded four Rural Health Training Units in NSW. One was in Orange. These units offered limited rural experience to undergraduates from a range of health disciplines.
It is well-documented that many more of these students, after experiencing such rural placements, eventually returned to rural areas to practise, as opposed to students with no rural health experience.
The value of showing undergraduates and new graduates the benefits of rural life, even for brief periods, cannot be underestimated.
