Over the weekend a tit-for-tat spat erupted on the streets of Milton-Ulladulla. Spray cans were the weapon of choice.
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As the town rose to greet an influx of tourists and holidaymakers for the school holidays, graffiti littered the streets.
“Jesus said vote no” and “vote no” was tagged on the Princes Highway throughout Milton, Ulladulla and Burrill Lake, along with Beach Road and Mitchell Parade, Mollymook.
Supporters of the “yes” campaign took it upon themselves to retaliate, overriding the “no” with a “yes” and love hearts.
These actions do not reflect our usually respectful and tolerant town.
As with any question there will be those for and against, however a good debate should always be respectful.
Neither side should be made to feel vindicated or victimised for their point of view, and most certainly neither side should feel the need to check their car or house hasn’t been the last tagging victim first thing in the morning.
While some of the tags have now been removed, these does not erase the effect it has had on the morale of the community.
The residents of Milton-Ulladulla are usually applauded for the way we gather around one another in a time of need and support those who need a little extra help.
The old saying goes that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”
However, we know there are a number of people across the region who are suffering from considerable hurt.
What we have found most upsetting is that the Milton-Ulladulla branch of Marriage Equality Gilmore has felt the need to establish “safe places” across the Shoalhaven.
There are places where people can go if they are being harassed or intimidated if they need some time out while the survey is being conducted.
The group made the request that The Times does not publish a list of the “safe places” for fear of retribution.
This is the type of request we hoped would not have been needed in 2017.
With the marriage equality postal survey process taking another eight weeks to complete, we hope everyone can reflect on the weekend and not repeat these actions.
Let’s all band together, no matter our opinions, and make our community the beacon of respect and tolerance visitors usually find.