Rome was not built in a day

“I woke and thought I would make my favourite cheese scones, but then realised the recipe, my measuring spoons and my baking tin were all gone.”

“Half a million Rands worth of tools, my livelihood, went up in smoke only for me to realise that only two size spanners are absolutely essential for most work.”

“We are staying at temporary accommodation so I thought fantastic, I will make soup, good comfort food, and even asked our landlord if we could borrow their toaster. We sat down to enjoy our meal and realised we had no spoons.”

There are just so many tales coming from the fire that it is impossible to begin to write them all, but we are trying and will continue in the weeks and months to come to follow the healing and rebuilding process in the town.

There have been funny comments like fully appreciating the use tweezers have when you no longer have them.

We have heard many stories, anecdotes and appreciate you sharing with us.

So many organisations and people have donated to Knysna since the fire, that this week we endeavour to highlight some of the Samaritans, but please forgive us if we can’t fit every story in.

While it is time to return to some semblance of normal like having an Out and About page, school news and sport, there will still be many a fire tale told.

The biggest problem we are having now and undertake to get right is answering all the questions we do not have answers for.

Where to live and what to do when you were not insured?

Exactly where to go for what you need when you have lost everything?

When the rubble will be cleared?

How is the municipality going to roll out tangible housing solutions?

Where are all the tangible donations going and who received them?

How much actual cash has been given to Knysna to rebuild and how will this process be determined?

We are pushing to get answers to these critical questions readers have.

A disaster of this magnitude could never have been imagined so it makes sense that there is some fumbling through it, no exact and immediate answers.

This is a time for patience, a time rather like that before the fynbos will thrive again. Not Rome and nor Knysna can be built overnight.