Oom Jopie deserves a Bells!
Say what you will, but that man deserves a Bells! Oom Jopie is doing something proactive about a problem which has tainted our town for years. Unlike most of us, myself included, he has the guts to stand by what's right and actually do something to improve society.
Madam – The article about ‘Oom Jopie’ in the Advertiser dated July 4, 2014, refers.
Say what you will, but that man deserves a Bells! Oom Jopie is doing something proactive about a problem which has tainted our town for years. Unlike most of us, myself included, he has the guts to stand by what’s right and actually do something to improve society.
While those out there always say we need to know both sides of the story, and we cannot always judge these ‘ladies of the night’ without knowing their circumstances; here are my facts:
1. Prostitution is a problem which plagues most societies, and in a town as small as Newcastle, it is something our children are exposed to because it’s right under our noses and happens sometimes outside our own yards.
2. With prostitution comes the criminal element. This, as a parent, is a fact we can’t ignore. The police do what they can, but most nights the activities on Paterson Street continue unabated. Many a night coming home from shopping, these women can be seen happily huddled next to a fire at the park, waiting for their next ‘client’. And nothing will stop them.
3. It can be punted in the media and in workshops until people are blue in the face, but diseases are becoming the norm instead of the exception. HIV and Aids are a legitimate concern in society. Shouldn’t we be doing something to promote health and safety?
I can ramble on for pages, Madam, but the fact remains that most people still choose to turn a blind eye and then complain over the dinner table and say that Newcastle is getting worse and wish they could emigrate and so forth.
It is people like Oom Jopie that renew one’s faith in humanity. This man has lived a full life and yet still takes an active decision to try and make the town a better place for a generation that has become so disillusioned, it can’t even get up to help.
Well done Oom. You have brought me much laughter and introspection with your courage and proactive deeds. My family and I support you all the way!
Just Saying
