Radio Australia Today Editorial

Single Men Note: This is One Place Not to Go To

27 August 2008

There are plenty of people who can’t find their perfect partner, but if you live a gazillion kilometres away from potential partners, you will obviously find matching up a little more difficult than most.

One of the stories that has been in the Australian media lately has been about the country town Nar Nar Goon (a title that would hardly encourage migration in the first place). Apparently Nar Nar Goon has a real woman shortage. There are women in Nar Nar Goon, but they are either attached, or beyond the age of interest to the town’s many men under the age of 30.

It was reported yesterday that there was one eligible woman under thirty in Nar Nar Goon, but no-one knew where she was. She was dubbed the “Phantom Woman”.

This was obviously a challenge to the media, which did its homework, and found the woman. There she is today, in the papers for all to see. Except that she’s not under thirty. She won’t say her age, but it’s believed she is between 30 and 40. She apparently has only recently moved to the town from the city, and when she goes into the main street, it’s with her three brothers, so she doesn’t notice the single guys that are like, everywhere.

The problem apparently is that there are just not as many girls born in Nat Nar Goon as boys. And maybe Nar Nar Goon is man’s territory. The ever-present drought conditions, heat and flies is not a huge attraction to the feminine among us, so perhaps you couldn’t expect lasses from Melbourne’s Chapel St cafe culture to throw it all in to go bush.

But looking at the photos of the guys in the town, they don’t seem to mind one bit being partnerless. The photo shows them in pub, beers in hands, smiles on faces. If they were married they’d probably have to be at home, putting out the garbage, or painting the kids’ room.

I might go to Nar Nar Goon.
– Phil