For the second time since February ’09, I have watched from afar as a place close to my heart has suffered immeasurable tragedy & heartbreak. In January of ’09 I was in Melbourne for the Big Day Out, which was held on Australia Day that year. The following day, a Tuesday, was the first day of the heat wave that 12 days later would culminate in the form of Black Saturday. Fuck, it was hot. For the next 5 or 6 days, most of my time & that of my friends who were fortunate enough to have some time off was spent sitting around asking, “Fuck me, how hot is it? You right for a beer?” Just like the rest of Victoria, we had no idea what God had in store. Anyhow, after about a week of this I packed my car & headed back up the Hume, which made its way through the middle of a few places that less than a week later would be devastated by fire as Christine Nixon sat on her despicable arse & stuffed her despicable face. Black Saturday was mezmorising & heartbreaking; it was heartbreaking to flick on the TV to see Victoria burning & hearing the reports of those who perished without standing a chance of surviving nature’s fury. Making it worse was the reports of arsonists at large who’d made a large “contribution” to the destruction of places such as Kinglake & Marysville. Thankfully, no-one I’m close to was ever in danger.
Now, over the last weeks we have stopped to watch Queensland as places such as Rockhampton, Bundaberg, St. George, then Toowoomba, then Ipswich & now Brisbane go under water in this country’s worst natural disaster. Queensland is my home; it always has been & it always will be, so to see the images of the destruction caused by the big wet is even more heartbreaking. This has cut me particularly deep. I’ll admit to having let a few tears go in private. People will argue that seeing as though I’ve lived more than half of my life away from Queensland that I am no longer a Queenslander. That’s absolute bullshit; I guess that means Harry Kewell hasn’t been eligible to play for Australia for a few years now….Home is where the heart is, after all; what you identify yourself as doesn’t come down to rudimentary analysis of time spent where.
It’s interesting, though: enquiries made to family & friends in Toowoomba & the north side of Brisbane respectively have been met with a range of reactions from absolute fear to answers including, “Meh, nah, no flooding here really. It’s a bit wet, the kids aren’t happy about it…” ”Oh, ok, that’s good. Tell that husband of yours I said hi then. And that the Roosters suck.” The main thing is, though, no-one in my family has been harmed.
They’re a tough bunch & they’re a proud bunch up there in Queensland; I have absolutely no doubt that they will get through this disaster & come out the other side with an even greater sense of community. It really is a special thing to be a Queenslander, or at least consider yourself a Queenslander. It’s not necessarily a tacit pride, as it does get spoken about, but it gets under your skin & finds its way into your heart & that is, in my opinion at least, where the big difference lies. They’re being ably led up there by Anna Bligh: it seems that if there is anyone who has enhanced their reputation through this whole thing, it is her. Up to this point, she was seemingly reviled by the electorate but, from what I have seen of her in her pressers & the opinions being thrown about on social networking sites such as Twitter, she has seamlessly worked her way into a position of trust within the hearts & minds of Queenslanders who so desperately need someone to show leadership, real leadership, during this time. Also, I noted with interest the Police Commissioner standing by her side…
There are more tough times & heartbreaking moments ahead for those in Queensland, but they, and indeed, the rest of the country will be tougher for it. I’m certain of that. Another thing of which I’m certain is that I’d really hate to be a New South Welshman come State of Origin time; as if the thrashings dished out prior to 1980 weren’t motivation enough, now King Wally is standing out the front of Lang Park with a snorkel & floaties.
