The Military Wife Apr. 2010 | Page 13

written by Jacqueline Hyde

if she appears to pose a threat to "old hens" who have lived in an area for some amount of time, she is probably more likely to become the topic of gossip if she is unwilling to "fall into rank" within her new neighbourhood.

Another recurrent theme seems to be the area from which each base hails it's residents. The general prevailing attitude of many maritimers seems to be one that alcohol is a crucial aspect of socialization, whereas natives of more western provinces may not share that same attitude, thereby

viewing the same events from a differing perspective. One such example of such an incident could be when at a going away party, where more than half of the attendees were

from the maritime provinces. When they began to have some real fun, there were several persons, none of whom were maritimers, who left immediately. Those who stayed were so uncomfortable with the usual drunken carousing, that they called the police. Even after it was explained that broken noses and holes in the walls were a common occurence, the non-maritimers responded to these normal behaviours by overreacting, essentially creating their own drama.

There is no clear cut way to determine which bases are best for gossip, but with these factors in mind as well as a recent poll of military wives across the nation, TMW has established the following list of Top 10 Canadian Forces Bases for heresay, backstabbing, and gossip among military wives:

10. CFB Greenwood, Nova Scotia

9. CFB Borden, Ontario

8. CFB Wainwright, Alberta

7. CFB Esquimalt, British Columbia

6. CFB Gander, Newfoundland

5. CFB Val Cartier, Quebec

4. CFB Kingston, Ontario

3. CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick

2. CFB Shilo, Manitoba

1. CFB Petawawa, Ontario