11th January

I guess I was a little ahead of myself last week. 20011 (?) Anyway, I do hope you are all safe and well. At the moment I’m listening to the update on the Toowoomba devastation. We drove to Charters Towers yesterday to get supplies and the water along the sides of the highway made me very uneasy, especially as the clouds were threatening on all sides. The road is broken in places and you can see the force of the water as it swept grass and branches before it. I was glad to get home again, until I heard the news. The scenes were horrendous.
I feel for those who are in the path of all this water, how are they managing to cope as they wait to see what is going to hit them? And those who have already been flooded—what will they find when they are finally able to return to their homes? Those who have lost everything in floods, fire or cyclones eventually realise that possessions are only that, but when you first lose everything it is hard to handle. Having lost our possessions in Cyclone Tracy I understand their loss. So I know that we do eventually recover from the loss, though I still miss some little pieces of my past—school photos, etc., which are irreplaceable.
What does soften the blow somewhat, is the unselfish caring shown by people, strangers who step in to help. It is typical of country people, who are used to hardship, to step in and lend a hand. Already donations are pouring in, and offers of assistance from people who want to help. This is a memory these flood victims will carry with them forever. Hopefully our Progress Association will offer some assistance towards helping our fellow Queenslanders.
The loss of livestock must be enormous too. For those that survive the floods, what fodder will they have, once the water recedes? The wet has extended as far as Tasmania but Queensland is suffering its worst floods. Maybe it is time to re think the dam situation in this state?
Undoubtedly, we will all eventually suffer from the loss of produce and grumble about prices, but it is the producers who will feel this disaster for a long time to come. Some will not survive. I feel for you all, it is not the start of 2011 I wished for.
Until next week...