FROM THE EDITOR—I NEVER HEARD “WALTZING MATILDA”: NOTES FROM A CONFERENCE IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

While in Australia, I never heard “Waltzing Matilda”—not once! Instead, everywhere I went I heard American music. I am not sure I like the Americanization of the world that I observe in so many countries! But Australia was surely delightful, and I would like to tell you about it. As usual, a conference was the impetus for my travel. This particular conference, the International Council on Women's Health Issues (ICOWHI), has been a favorite of mine since 1986, when I attended my first, which was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I enjoy the ICOWHI conference because it is interdisciplinary and because it focuses on issues dear to my own research program (women's anger, stress, and depression). At the Sydney meeting, there were delegates from 20 countries, representing 12 disciplines. As usual, networking was superb.

Another reason I have enjoyed ICOWHI over the years is because it presents the opportunity to travel to diverse locales, such as Egypt, Denmark, Thailand, and New Zealand. Traveling around the Australian countryside via bus, ferry, and airplane, we saw the smoke of bush fires associated with prolonged drought, the strange barren landscape of the desert, the lush botanical gardens and spectacular opera house of Sydney, and the wondrous coral of the Great Barrier Reef. In Sydney, we experienced both the coldest November night in a century and the third-hottest November day in 25 years. That heat was mild, however, compared to the intense heat in the interior (some days it was 104 F).

We also learned a lot. We learned that there is a high rate of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among aboriginal Australians ([Davison et al., 2006]); that aboriginal children live with four times more stress than other children in Australia ([Taylor, 2006]); and that many of these children are depressed, aggressive, or hyperactive (Taylor). Thankfully, we also learned of some excellent programs to improve the care of aboriginal women and their children (e.g., [Davison et al., 2006]; [Gordon et al., 2006]).

Many of the conference papers focused on issues that concern women everywhere: societal and domestic violence; inadequate access to family planning services; caregiving for the ill, disabled, and aged; the burden of chronic diseases such as depression and diabetes; workplace bullying and other aspects of unhealthy work environments; and the paucity of women in key leadership positions in business and government. Heartening are the efforts of AusAID, an Australian governmental initiative to improve education, health, and human rights of women in the Asia-Pacific region (see http://www.ausaid.gov.au).

As usual, I have invited several conference presenters to submit manuscripts to the journal. In forthcoming issues, you will be reading their papers. I only wish I could share my photos. Yes, I did see kangaroos (in the wild), and lots of flying foxes (in Sydney's botanical garden). In the zoo, I saw an echidna, a kookaburra, and a blue-tongued lizard. For dinner, I ate burramundi, emu, kangaroo, and “bugs” (somewhat like lobster, but mushy). People were friendly, unpretentious, and tolerant of foreigners who asked dumb questions. A frequent response from Australians to our queries and concerns was “no worries.” Adopting this “no-worries” stance surely promotes good mental health!