ONE of the exceptional things I have experienced during COVID-19 is the expressed heart and soul of regional life.
Let me explain. Many people have approached me for assistance over the last few months, but most often it is not for themselves that they ask, but rather someone in their community.
Take the bridge and border closures this week.
I’ve had people text me or ring and ask for help to open the local bridge for the bloke down the road who would do anything for you and who is unable to go about his normal life.
Like Alec Monk. Alec is 84 years old and now walks daily over the Murrabit bridge with his walking frame, climbs a ladder over the gates to buy his milk and paper, then climbs back over again and walks with his frame the 200 metres to his car.
Or the lady who tirelessly works in the aged care facility over the river who will have to add 100km to her daily trip to and from work.
Or the farmer who needs to transfer his farm equipment from his property on one side of the river to the other and would normally travel with no issue across the Murrabit bridge, but because it is exceptionally wide cannot justify the 200kms extra distance with a wide and slow vehicle to the next closest bridge over 100kms away.
The case is accompanied by a description of the difficulties farmers have already been through this year.
Or the young mother from Koraleigh, who now has to drive her children all the way to Swan Hill for school, because the bus has been cancelled due to the Nyah bridge being closed.
This costs her time and added expense with additional hundreds of kilometres of personal travel.
Almost every case that is raised with me, is about people caring for and watching out for other people in our community.
They’re mates. Isn’t that what we love about living in the country? I love it and I’ll fight to protect it. It is the core value of our way of life.
We cannot put a price on connection. And regional communities shine in this space.
While what we are experiencing is unprecedented (yes, that word again), we really are doing it together.
I am proud of our people who have come out backing their community, or letting me know about the injustice of it all.
This week our border communities have been cut by physical barriers such as bridges at Curlwaa, Tooleybuc, Nyah, and Murrabit, and initially locked to all traffic.
The good news is that after the initial hard closures of these bridges and much lobbying to the NSW Premier, the Prime Minister and the NSW Cross Border Commissioner, these bridges have all now been opened, and are in the process of having hours extended. This is an important step.
These closures took the impact of an already difficult situation and amplified them, unfairly punishing rural communities and separating us. But it has proven that we will come out and passionately fight for our connection as regional border communities.
