Juliet Leigh and Lindsay Gurnow - driven from their home.

The two women having endured an arson attack earlier this year have again been targeted with homophobic graffiti and it's obviously frightening intention in the Northland settlement of Mangawhai. After January's arson attack they incurred around $100,000 worth of damage to their shed, office and equipment used in their floral business.

At that time locals rallied around and 7 months later just when they were coming to terms with the earlier attack, the two women in their 60s, who obviously wouldn't harm a fly, and who no doubt are strongly community minded as judged by the community support they received, had 'God hates dikes + qeers' sprayed across their back fence in black paint.

It wasn't reported but I would expect the second intrusion is what they had dreaded for months after the first attack and were only slowly feeling confident living their own lives in their own home when the second attack happened. No doubt on of the worst things for the couple is that they know they are dealing with a nutter or nutters whom may not know when to stop. It's a short call from burning a shed to throwing a Molotov through a bedroom window. As well as the issue of looking at strangers and neighbours and wondering if they were involved earlier or know something about it, and being almost constantly on the look out for danger.

Well I hope they don't shift, I hope their community rallies around them again to strengthen in the face of this cowardly hate. It's difficult to think of a more harmless job than arranging flowers in order to bring beauty and appreciation into other people's life's. As to the perpetrator(s) it's difficult to imagine someone more cowardly and afraid of their own insignificance and personal value that needs to strike back at a bizarre world they've conjured from ignorance and fear.

Be strong Juliet and Leigh, don't be fearful because your fear is what this person or persons need in order to make their own lives seem less pathetic and to give them a sense of power. Harry Cohan described the 'whipping boys' those that others look for to persecute in order to hide their own insecurities and doubts, terribly weak people who hate themselves so much they must off-load that hate elsewhere in order to bolster themselves however temporarily. But if you should leave(and who could blame you if you do) I'm sure you will remain strong and I wish you well.

I'll finish here with some words from Juliet..
'This person, whoever it is, is a coward, and bigot and absolutely brazen.
'We have absolutely no idea who might have done this to us.
'In this day and age. It's hard to believe this sort of thing still happens. Where's the humanity? Who can show this much hatred?'