New hope sprouts in the bush

YES, the week of weather has been unsettling – particularly for those who experienced the Townsville and North Queensland 2019 flood event.

Floods, and droughts and bushfires, alike – all caused by extreme weather conditions – are known to increase our physical and psychological stress.

That’s due to a number of factors, not insignificantly where there is a loss of income as well as a disruption of our normal social and community structures.

This is something we acknowledge and respect.

And so the rain, particularly out west this week, has been sent straight from the heavens – quite literally, and well, in other ways.

“If there is a wet season there is hope,” one community leader told us during an interview.

We had travelled out west to find out how the recovery was, 12 months on from the January rain.

What we found was optimism in many places.

Due in no small part to the rains these past seven days.

Because it’s an oh-so-fine balance. We need rain, but not too much, and not at all once, thanks.

They said: “Everything hinges on if we get a good wet season. If we get 200mm in one night that will bring back the terrors for a lot of people.”

But we’re a strong bunch.

And the resilience of people in the bush never ceases to amaze.

They exemplify our great Aussie nature, and our ‘up and at ‘em’ approach to all things.

Another we spoke to this week – one of the northwest mayors – summed it up well, and sensitively: “Recovery really is a work in progress and everyone is in their own space, but at least now we have had the start of some good rain. And the financial support is there. There’s really now not a lot that anyone can do. People are just getting on with it.”

And there are green shoots wherever you look.