30/12/2020
Hard to believe that is has been a whole year since I took these photos, so much has happened since then. This year we are safe, the air is clear and there are people everywhere in town and surrounds, spending money and supporting our region. It is vibrant and full of life again and I am so grateful for it. The support we are getting now is wonderful and will get our businesses out of the worst slump they’ve ever experienced but if it weren’t for them we would be lost. As a region we feel forgotten, left behind, abandoned by government and the agencies who promised help. Mental health in this region is at its worst and there are people still living in makeshift accommodation on burnt out properties a year later. The bushfire fund promised by the federal government has not materialised and we are all still suffering from the effects of a period we would love to forget. Throw a year of closed borders, lockdowns and major loss of incomes and you have a very impacted region. We have been lucky enough to escape the health effects of COVID but the financial ones have really impacted us all.
For those that have continued to support our region, and all fire affected regions, I thank you. It is a long road back from what we experienced and we are getting there slowly and on the face of it we are almost there, but just a little below the surface is a pain that will linger forever. So please remember this in months and years ahead, more than anything else we need you, your support, your presence, your spending for without you we would not have come this far xox
