We’ve spent weeks pondering when the big burn would come, and inches of column space praising emergency services personnel (and rightly so) who have stepped up, yet again, to help quell the danger.
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It was never a question of ‘what if’ we burned; just when. That’s what lies at the heart of the fire-fighting brigades’ ever-readiness. But amid the drama and devastation, especially to livestock and wildlife, we also found an answer to the question of what lies at our heart.
It is a love of the land, its people, and its many, varied animals. Raising the early alert online, the Post found countless commenters whose first response was for the welfare of all three concerns.
In fact, a call-out for wildlife carers and reassurance of options to move animals under threat out of harm’s way topped the posts. This was closely followed by the community bidding each other to ‘stay safe’ and offering comfort, whether as prayers or best wishes.
‘Core of my heart, my country!’ penned the poet Dorothea Mackellar, and this week we heard that spirit manifest around the district. Now, less than a week out from Australia Day, we’ll hear it again as we pause to ponder what it really means to be a modern Australian.
It’s a pity it takes a bush fire to smoke out such a burning passion for these times and this place, but we’re proud of our district’s people for speaking up and reaching out for each other this week.
The question is, after we extinguish the Australia Day barbies next week, will we be able to keep doing so?
New start for old things
About 50,000 items of music scores, books and vinyls have been sorted to create a renovated music library currently housed at the Conservatorium.
The GRC’s director Paul Scott-Williams called the collection a “cultural asset” to the community.
The library space is a special representation of aspects of the community’s history, cares and loves.
It’s a winning trifecta that will positively inspire and influence the next generation of musicians and artists.
If anything, we hope this decision to clean up and catalogue inspires surrounding community groups who are also housing their historical items away from public eyes to display their pieces of the past.