A close encounter of an unpleasant kind

My thoughts and stuff
My thoughts and stuff
A close encounter of an unpleasant kind
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This week I experienced something I never thought would happen to me. On Tuesday morning I went for a walk and was accosted by two men who demanded my wallet.

Another positive experience with ACT Police

Belconnen Police Station. Gary Lum.
Belconnen Police Station.

Regular readers know that I enjoy waking up early, getting out of bed, and going for a walk. On Tuesday, as usual, I got out of bed, weighed myself in an undressed state, got dressed, and stepped out for a walk.

Scaffolding tunnel on the corner of Emu Bank and Benjamin Way. Gary Lum.
Scaffolding tunnel on the corner of Emu Bank and Benjamin Way.

As I was walking along Emu Bank on Lake Ginninderra I heard two men behind me. I didn’t take that much notice because even though it was just after 4 am, it’s not that unusual for me to see people out and about. I had earbuds in my ears and I was listening to a podcast. I’ve learnt my lesson, when I go out, I will not wear earbuds.

Scaffolding tunnel on the corner of Emu Bank and Benjamin Way. Gary Lum.
Scaffolding tunnel on the corner of Emu Bank and Benjamin Way.

I crossed the road and had to walk through a scaffolding tunnel and that’s when I was trapped. One of the men had flanked me around the left around the plastic covered scaffolding tunnel and approached me from the front. His partner came up behind me. I was trapped between them.

“Don’t be stupid, give me your wallet.”

I was startled and quickly noted he was tall, about 2 metres. To my right there was light from a well lit 24-hour gym (Fit N Fast) which I knew had CCTV cameras. He was young, late teens or early 20s. He had a slim build but he wasn’t scrawny. He was dark skinned, of African origin, spoke clear English but not with an Australian accent.

Scaffolding tunnel on the corner of Emu Bank and Benjamin Way. Gary Lum.
Scaffolding tunnel on the corner of Emu Bank and Benjamin Way.

I kept moving slowly, not stopping, and I shuffled towards my right. I tried to burn his image into my mind knowing his accomplice was behind me.

“No.”

“Give me your wallet.”

“No.”

He could see I was leading him to the light and turned tail with his partner walking quickly into the darkness.

The whole encounter lasted less than a minute.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I thought about banging on the glass of the gym to get in just in case they came back. I thought about walking home but that was in the direction of where the would be muggers had gone.

In the end, I decided to walk up the road to Belconnen Police Station and file a report with them. I made sure I walked in the middle of the road in the dim light provided by street lights.

The desk constable was very good. He gave me a witness statement template to complete and suggested I take a seat and write as much information as I could. I wrote out as much information as I could remember including what I thought was a reasonable description of the two men. The officer-in-charge dispatched a patrol car to go looking for the would be muggers. After about 20 minutes, I asked to leave (I had to get ready for work) and was offered a lift by the duty sergeant. I accepted.

Belconnen Police Station. Gary Lum.
Belconnen Police Station

Later that morning, I posted a description of what had happened to the Canberra Notice Board Facebook group just to alert people in the area that this had happened. There were lots of supportive comments.

In the following 24-hours I felt a little anxious and on Tuesday evening I did dream about what happened. It was a bit unsettling.

The Owl Statue on Monday morning. Gary Lum.
The Owl Statue on Monday morning.

There may be no more visits to the Belconnen Owl Statue in the mornings in the dark for a while.

What was nice though was having a workmate buy me a vanilla slice from the Curtin Bakery. That made my day. It also helped me feel a lot better.

A workmate gave me this Curtin Bakery Vanilla Slice after I had an unpleasant experience on Tuesday morning. It was delicious. Gary Lum.
A workmate gave me this Curtin Bakery Vanilla Slice after I had an unpleasant experience on Tuesday morning. It was delicious.

Masks versus respirators

With the current community interest in Canberra’s air quality, I’ve been curious to read in social media the language people use. Technically, the particulate filters are not masks, they are respirators. You can always tell an infection control pedant by their use of the terminology.

There’s also an assumption that P2 respirators and N95 respirators are the same.

P2 respirator

P2 Particulate Filters | Australian New Zealand Standard
Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1716 “Respiratory Protective Devices”
Must have a filter efficiency of at least 94% when tested with Sodium Chloride aerosol
Aerosol particle size has a mass median diameter of 0.3 to 0.6 µm with a range of particles in the 0.02 to 2 µm size range.
This aerosol is delivered to the filter at a flow rate of 95 L/minute 
 

N95 respirator

N95 Particulate Filters | US Standard
United States National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Must have a filter efficiency of at least 95% when tested with Sodium Chloride aerosol
Aerosol particle size has a mass median diameter of approximately 0.3 µm. This aerosol is delivered to the filter at a flow rate of 85 L/minute
N95 respirators may only be used for protection against oil-free aerosols

Does any of this matter? Probably not.

Free cake and coffee

What have I watched this week?

Stargate Atlantis

I’m getting well into season one of Atlantis. I’m getting into it, however, I am missing the characters and the cast of SG-1. The odd cameo appearance is always welcome.

I’m now into season 2 of Atlantis and to my surprise, Jason Momoa is the new star. He plays Ronon Dex. I liked the role Momoa played in Game of Thrones. I thought he was okay as Aquaman, but really, nothing beats the TV cartoon version.

What have I listened to this week?

Meet the Microbiologist

In show 124, Julie interviews Mary Estes and they discuss the wonderful world of viral pathogens which cause gastroenteritis. It took me back to 1986 when I was “putting the wheels in motion” for my Bachelor of Medical Science. I had paused medical school (between year 3 and year 4) to take a year out to undertake the equivalent of a science honours degree. My area of interest was Human Rotavirus. Please tell me if you get the joke with “putting the wheels in motion”.

Mary also discusses the Norwalk agent, a tiny 27 nm virus which causes fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea. An agent no one thought could cause diarrhoea because up until the outbreak in Norwalk, no one thought that viruses could be responsible for gastroenteritis.

If you want to learn a little medical history, please check out the show.

What have I eaten and photographed this week?

Photographs

This is a gallery of photographs. Click on one image and scroll through the rest of them.

Yummy Lummy this week

Yesterday I shared a post about the rib eye bone in steaks I’ve been enjoying from Woolworths and now Coles. I posed the question, does the size of the bone have any effect on the taste of your meat?

Rib eye bone in ready for dry brining. Gary Lum.
Rib eye bone in ready for dry brining.

Random Yummy

There’s plenty to read at the Random Yummy. You can see photographs of food and some simple how to recipes of how I prepare my nightly meals.

Final thoughts

  • Have you ever been accosted and been told to hand over your wallet? How did you react?
  • Did you know the difference between P2 and N95 respirators?
  • What do you think of Jason Momoa’s acting?
  • Did you know some people do not suffer from Noroviral diarrhoea because of their genetic makeup? Can you say you’ve not experienced gastroenteritis?

12 Replies to “A close encounter of an unpleasant kind”

  1. Awfully pleased you were not physically assaulted Gary. But still a very unnerving experience for you so no wonder you had a dream after the event. So glad the ACTP were helpful and how lovely you received a lift home.

    1. Thanks, Sue. I’m always grateful for the professionalism of ACT Police and AFP.
      I’m in the process of rethinking how to keep exercising safely.

  2. Liking you escaped and were smart. I’m always startled by persons who wear earbuds in both ears while walking or running, I saw one young girl almost get hit because she wasn’t paying attention. 😳 I’ve not been accosted before, I’m not sure what I’d do!
    I enjoy Jason, I’d like to see more of his work eventually.

    1. Thanks, Kris. Walking and listening to podcasts used to be a pleasure. Now I will focus on having all of my available senses alert to the possibility of danger.
      I had a friend from medical school die when he stepped on train tracks while jogging and listening to music.

    2. Good heavens!! That is truly scary. I”m thankful you will be smarter and safer.

  3. You were lucky not to get more hurt by those two men, Gary.
    I do also like to walk in early mornings and sometimes I do meet people, who are on the way home or so after partying. I do feel safe, as I always bring my dog Odin at those walks. He is big enough to keep mostly people in a distance. He isn’t aggressive, but protective.
    I enjoy the silence, when walking in the mornings, so I wouldn’t use earbuds either.
    Take good care of yourself.

    1. Thanks, Irene. I’m now thinking I should buy a place to live. It’s not easy renting a place and having a pet like a dog. That said, I do travel a bit so having pets isn’t always easy.

  4. How terrifying! Thankfully I have never been asked for my purse or belongings, but as a female, I have felt quite unsafe on some occasions when walking alone in the dark. On a couple of occasions I did break into a run. A friend of mine was mugged in broad daylight just off Rundle Mall, so I guess if there are people who are desperate, it doesn’t matter if it’s night or day. I am glad that you were not hurt and that the police were able to assist you.

    1. Thanks. It was unsettling. So much so I’m looking behind me a lot now.

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