Part of the ugliness was to be a victim of bullying.

Unlike today, throughout my school days, bullying was just accepted as an unavoidable part of one's educational experience.

However, things changed a bit when during my army days.

There were those of us who did our best to bring the bullies to heel.

Then decades later I encountered that quintessential and seemingly untouchable class of bullies ie those who ruled the world of commerce from their corporate offices.

A case in point is when Woolworths decided to compete in the very lucrative hardware/DIY market worth billions of dollars.

A major part of their strategy was to bring Wesfarmers' "Bunnings" to its knees through its "Masters" stores.

Yet even as that strategy's doom was unfolding, they had another strategy and it was scoring goals.

Woolworths was buying-up as many independent hardware traders as it could.

You might recall the demise of Magnet Mart a few years ago.

I was one of its employee's and at a staff meeting a Woolworth's executive was in attendance and told us that the days of the independent store were over.

And consumed with hubris, he proudly stated that it would be only a few years before Masters would claim the lion's share of the burgeoning hardware/DIY market and Bunnings would become but a distant memory.

Now Woolworths is again flexing its bully's muscles as it plans to open a supermarket in Moss Vale on the site of the old Central Hotel.

One can only wonder why it would spend millions of dollars on such a venture when the site itself is notorious for periodic flooding from Whyte's Creek.

And surely those Southern Highlanders who shop at Woolworths are quite adequately served by the Bowral supermarket just 10-minutes drive away.

I think even Blind Freddy would agree that this strategy has bugger all to do with Woolworths improving access to their product range.

On the contrary, it's a fair bet that Woolworth's strategy is all about making life as difficult as possible for both Ashcroft's Supa IGA and Coles.

It's common knowledge that Coles has been on the market for a few months and has recently spent quite heavily erecting overhead protection in their car park in an effort to enhance a sale.

It's a fair bet that when that innovation doesn't attract a buyer with a bulging wallet, Wesfarmers will reclaim the site and again re-brand the building only this time with "K-Mart's" livery.

Then it'll be down to a war of attrition between Woolworths and Metcash.

A battle that Woolworths will win simply because they not only have more dollars in their war chest but they also have the arrogant bloody-mindedness and zealot-like determination to succeed pretty much at any cost.

They'll happily trade at a loss for however long it takes just to see Rochelle and Ian Ashcroft hoist a white flag and forever close the doors.

Woolworths will then look for another victim to bully into extinction.

But is that situation inevitable? Maybe not.

What would happen to Woolworths strategy if the good citizens of Moss Vale rallied together under Matt Campbell's flag then exercised that greatest of democratic rights ie People Power and boycotted Woolworths from the moment they opened their doors for business?

How long would it take for Woolworths executives to say, "okay, stuff it, enough is enough. Let's try something else".

Then close their doors for a month or so before re-opening in "Big W" livery instead, seeing as they already have a "Target" in Bowral?

There'd be no doubt that the main combatants would then re-focus their strategy and a battle for supremacy would start all over again.

A final word to Woolworths... "a pox on all your houses".

- Lloyd Hopkins, Moss Vale