auwustories

Open full view…

Volunteer for the Dole

clifffraser
Fri, 17 Aug 2018 04:31:10 GMT

In 2012 I brought a B double out of Sydney and suffered a heart attack. Immediately my heavy licences were cancelled. I was out of work. Worse I went from approximately $100,000 pa to Centrelink benefits. I have lost count of how many jobs I have applied for but they all have the same reaction. The moment I tell them I had a heart attack they no longer want to know me. My employment service agency recommended volunteering. I went to Clunes Neighbourhood House. Almost 4 years, I think, I put up with their misandry. This was run by women mainly and they seem to see men as second-class citizens only good for the heavy work. I drove the bus picking up the ‘Work for the Dole’ participants bringing them from Ballarat to Clunes and return. One young girl didn’t want to participate but was given no option. She complained. I was called in and was almost suggested that I had molested this young girl. I exploded and said “I’m not a paedophile”. The moment I introduced that word into the conversation everyone started back pedalling. Apparently, this young girl actually said that sh e was uncomfortable in the company of males. Note I hold a volunteer working with children card. Another task for me was driving the bus with Neighbourhood House members on ‘Op Shop’ tours. One lady who I think would be in her late 50’s was a drunk. Often at 9:30 am when we arrived to pick her up she would be staggering drunk. A few times she was actually passed out from the alcohol. On one occasion this lady started rubbing the back of my neck so I moved away. A few minutes later she followed me and slid her hand under my shirt and started to rub my back. I left. I reported this contact to the co-ordinator and stressed it was a formal notification. The Co-Ordinator patted me on the shoulder in a most patronising way and told me to stay away from her. I wonder what the response would have been if I had put my hand up the back of a lady’s blouse? Dissatisfied with this response I raised this issue with two committee members one male and one female and received a very similar response. Another instance I described someone as a ‘Pussy” in a playful manner. I was immediately told by a committee member that I couldn’t say Pussy. The very next sentence from her included the ‘F’ bomb. When I brought this to her attention she said that word was in common use. Finally, my wife helps prepare and serve the meals for the Community dinners which are run in the Clunes Town Hall each Tuesday night. My duties were to set up the dinning room and clean up afterwards. I also took it upon myself to advertise the upcoming menu each week on Facebook. Each week I tried to inject a little bit of humour and nearly always a misspelling which encouraged community engagement. Some were rather corny jokes and one or two occasions slid in to some rather poor poetry. The last one I did I used the line “SEX. Now that I have your attention the menu is;…” this was not the first time I used this line. This was apparently offensive because the post was removed and I was suspended from all Neighbourhood house duties pending an investigation. At the meeting, which was apparently the investigation I was told that my language was not suitable for this environment. I pointed out that I virtually don’t swear but I often heard the ‘F’ bomb and the ‘C’ word in female voices around the Neighbourhood House including on the odd occasion the coordinator herself. I don’t believe I ever heard a male swear. I was told that was irrelevant. Then I was told that I “was not a suitable fit”. I told her that I had wasted my years in the Army trying to ensure freedoms for this country, thanked her and left. I now volunteer elsewhere.

The Jobs Game (4corners)
Fri, 31 Aug 2018 23:20:40 GMT

Regarding the sexual misconduct of others. Your right if you did up your hand up a woman blouse you would be dismissed. If you have issues like that again write a letter to the chair person of your NGO committee. They will address the issue differently than your manager would. Best of luck