Thanks SuperTed but I’m not gay. Using testosterone patches/replacement therapy, etc would only have the opposite effect (whatever it is your assuming) as this would only reduce the amount of testerone (freebound) in my system. I’ve seen my GP and and I’m on workcover until our meeting which will hopefully be this Friday. The meeting will be only a walk in the park as I will just stick to my guns. It’s all the shit afterwards that matters but I do feel strong in my convictions as I’d rather live on my feet (even though I have wooden legs SuperTed) than die on my knees. landt64’s advise is actually quite true. Although do feel emotionally strong enough to shake off the aftermath. If not I can always get another job. The amount of people who tell me/phone me at the moment, telling me it’s a good thing what you’re doing (but don’t involve us) has been incredible (in terms of their support). I don’t blame them for not coming forward because that is ‘exactly how workplace bullying operates!’ Keep people in a constant state of threat (‘you’ll lose your job’ mentality) and people will do just about anything. Anyway the sooner the meeting the better because I know that it may contribute to some degree to stop this epidemic in sooooooo many industries. landt64 you are also right in that your union rep is really the only one on your side. Already I can sense management (although still supportive) starting to want to wash their hands of this as it will reflect badly on their ‘Duty of Care’ under OH&S and how they in turn may be perceived by their managers as not doing their job, leaving the top of the Chain of command with egg on his/her face if this gets out to the wrong people.
End of the day, it’s not about bullying. It’s about money/the budget. In any government job you’re expendable (and from the kind people who have shared their experiences) probably worse in the private sector.
Anyway I’ll keep people updated and will share what’s come out of it by the end of the week.
Kind regards,
Gatsby.
(And again all, many thanks!)

Dear Timtam, Mashari, Robertmoore, et al,
Many thanks for your replies and my empathy goes out to all you have endured. Mashari thanks for the link and I will check it out when my feet touch the ground. I will also pm back earlier posts who offered support too. I’m most grateful. I’ve just come back from a free counselling service that the Dept provides. At the moment I’m concerned about a couple of IP’s I own. My boss is not one to back down if challenged by any aggressor. It only reinforces in her paradigm of thinking ‘all the more’ that she is right. I don’t know if I need to put my 2 properties in some form of a trust as she will take this matter into her own hands. As I’ve already stated she is paranoid about anything and everything and everytime I have tried to talk about her aggressiveness she just builds up and tells me maybe I need a new job. She has no insight. I’ve phoned Slater and Gordon and will ring them back in the morning (they are our Union’s Lawyers). I’ll also try and seek a property/accountant more specialised with this dilemna. The hardest thing as those who have shared your experiences is that you have so much running around, covering your bases, etc at a time when you are psychologically most vulnerable. It’s now at a waiting game stage as although she is still off until the 17th of this month, I think she will be back in Melbourne in a day or two and she will definetly drop into the house where I’ll have to confront her. I’m trying to burn off the anticapatory anxiety at the gym to relive the stress which has helped. I’m not at all trying to sound racist and I apologize if anyone is offended but she is Italian and very dramatic/loud and extremely thick with her family. As I’ve stated she has a key to the house and s/o room so my sleep is pretty poor at work and yes, as mentioned earlier by Robertmoore, I have a tonne of all her work to try and concentrate (which she has dumped for me) while trying to perform my duties. I haven’t told other staff because they will eventually be bullied by her when she discovers she is banned from the work site. Anyway again, many thanks and I will pm and post back as things evolve. The frustrating thing is I don’t want to leave this job as I enjoy it and the pay is good to service loan repayments/loan applications, etc.
Anyway it’s back to work.
Kindest regards,
Gatsby.
(don’t worry I am resolved to see this thing through to the end as quickly as possible. I just want my normal life back asap!)