From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 3 November

It was asked of me: Would you, for one million dollars, run over and kill your dog?

IT took less than a jiffy (the amount of time light takes to travel one fermi – which is about one quadrillionth, and is the smallest measurement possible) to reply, “Absolutely, categorically, and resoundingly: NO!” You can judge a nation by the way it treats its animals and its old people. In truth, no amount of anything would persuade me to gratuitously end the life of one of my animals – Moggy the cat, and Penny the dog. I have great regard for the planet’s ecosystem; our large community of living plants, animals and microbes.

I read the reports, but was unwilling to watch the vision screened on the ABC television program, 7.30, of horses – some of which were former racehorses – being slaughtered, pitilessly. God knows, the reading was horrifying enough. Those responsible must be called to account, and regardless of the power, and the perceived glamour of the racing fraternity, there must be a meaningful force for real and lasting change. Animals are not commodities.

Newspaper reports, and television stories, of horrific animal cruelty proliferate, and one has to wonder: Why? All are horrendous, but some prove more distressing than others. The premeditation, and the blatant disregard, is overwhelming. The time has come for our Courts to reflect the public abhorrence, and let the punishment fit the crime.

For the children of my generation, growing-up in the outback of Western Australia, shooting was part of life; however, it was not for fun. Whatever shot was eaten. Pigeons and galahs were made into stews and eaten with polenta; kangaroo meat was for the dogs; and wild donkey for handmade Italian sausages which sold for 10/- a pound and helped raise funds for the local Dominican convent. In the same way, my mother, Beria, kept dozens of chooks for their eggs and for Sunday roast dinner. When I was old enough I had no difficulty chopping-off their heads – a task I would find impossible today. For the most part, these days I do not eat any meat.

Still, we await the outcome of the South Australian police investigation into the senseless stoning and killing of a wombat by a serving police officer, who identifies as Aboriginal. The video of the incident is sickening. Some Aboriginal elders condemned the killing, while a couple have spoken-out in defence, arguing it was traditional for Australia’s first-people to hunt and eat wombats, which begs the question: When was the last time this serving police officer took cold wombat sandwiches to work for his lunch; or had friends over for a wombat roast dinner? Traditional hunting may have been so, but it was a very long time ago, and today, wombats are protected by the Whitefellas’ law, something which he, as a serving police officer, has pledged to uphold, regardless of ethnicity. In this instance, playing the traditional card is a fatuitous, even insulting proposition, particularly for Australians who have grown-up with respect for the ways of the Blackfella. Viewing the video, and watching his disgusting display of joy at the wombat’s demise, it is hard to regard this as anything other than the gratuitous killing of a defenceless animal. There is no question about his identity, and this cannot be dismissed as a moment of mental aberration. It is indefensible, by any standard. He should be drummed-out of the force.

As for the A-grade jerk, filmed terrifying, riding, and plucking an Emu, our unofficial national bird, there is no appropriate punishment. Had he been caught mistreating the American bald eagle, he would be incarcerated, which is where this mongrel should be – put to 12-months hard labour, cracking rocks!

Roland can be heard every Monday morning – 10.30 – on radio 3BA. You can email him, Moggy or Penny via [email protected].