AUSTRALIA:A town in the Australian outback of hardened miners struggling to attract female company has come up with what it believes is a breakthrough idea, inviting in ugly ones who will presumably be grateful for the attention.
The proposal, however, has led to John Molony, the mayor of Mount Isa, coming under fire.
He had originally told a local newspaper last weekend: "May I suggest if there are five blokes to every girl, we should find out where there are beauty-disadvantaged women and ask them to proceed to Mount Isa."
The mayor said many women who lived in the remote Queensland state town seemed quite happy. "Quite often you will see walking down the street a lass who is not so attractive with a wide smile on her face. Whether it is recollection of something previous or anticipation for the next evening, there is a degree of happiness."
He added: "I'm a bloke who respects women, I believe we should look after women. I'm told men outnumber women here by five to one. If that's the case, then perhaps it's an opportunity for some lonely women."
The quotes, published in the Townsville Bulletin, sparked outrage among the town's female population, led to furious online debates and drew criticism from the local chamber of commerce.
"There's a lot of anger circulating among the community at the moment, a lot of passionate anger," Mount Isa chamber of commerce manager Patricia O'Callaghan said yesterday.
Mr Molony declined to elaborate, saying his comments had been "twisted and warped".
"I've been shredded," he added, before hanging up. The situation may not be quite as dire as Mr Molony suggests. According to the 2006 census, males make up 52.6 per cent of the town's population of nearly 20,000.
Several local women say there are not many gems to be found among Mount Isa's men either. "We've got a saying up here that the odds are good, but the goods are odd," Anna Warrick (27) told the Brisbane Times.
- (AP, Reuters)