“Adversity is like a strong wind. It… tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.”
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When trying to make sense of the disaster that befell Tathra and district on March 18, one may turn to words from writers or leaders, to try to find an easy way to distill the tragedy that took away the homes of too many families from the region.
The above lines were written by Arthur Golden in his debut bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha. While it is incredibly hard to summarise the whirlwind that was the bushfire – the loss of homes and livelihoods, the battle to save houses, the impact on wildlife and forests, the trauma left on residents – Golden’s words do have a ring of truth to them.
In the face of adversity, the community around Tathra has banded together like nothing else. Countless hours have been sacrificed by volunteers to care for those who lost their homes, to support those putting out the last of the flames, or to rebuild the town. And it did not stop there, as there has been a continuous stream of brazen generosity from both the local community and wider nation.
Despite the incalculable hardship and heartbreak, the bushfire showed the strength the people from the region have as well as their massive capacity to care for others from their community, whether known to them or not. Though the bushfire was seven months ago, community groups are still either at work regenerating the area or being acknowledged for their compassionate efforts during the blaze.
Earlier this month for instance, the Tathra Beach Bowling Club took out the “Emergency Services” Award at the annual Clubs NSW Clubs and Community Awards for the role it played in the aftermath of the bushfire.
The club acted as a base for the Team Rubicon Australia volunteers to plan their recovery efforts and acted as a hub for members of the community to come in if they needed assistance or someone to talk to. The local surf club was similarly celebrated.
Also, on Saturday a community planting day was run by Bega Valley Shire Council to bring life back to the Tathra Headland after it was badly damaged in the fire.
“We just really wanted to contribute to our community,” volunteer on the day David Schmidt of Tathra said about why he helped.
Despite adversity, people have consistently shown they want to care for and give back to their community.
Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
