Well, I really did not mean for this saga to last three weeks, but the events that have unfolded in Australia are truly remarkable; an incredible testament to the durability and generosity of people, at their very best.
The gravity of the situation my friends have endured has finally sunk in, thanks to the scores of photos e-mailed and linked throughout the past three weeks. One photo, taken from altitude, features Andrew's dairy farm, completely blanketed by a grimy mantle of greenish-brown liquid. Sure enough, as he stated, the only dry area was a thin slab of concrete, barely large enough for half of his 500-head herd of dairy cattle. This snapshot, taken from a helicopter in the blink of an eye, clearly shows a mass of Brown Swiss cows, all struggling to stay out of the slurry.
The cows' plight was not the only feature of this snapshot. The farm driveway is obscured by water, round bales appear as blips in a lake, and even the massive bag of corn silage is naked. The water has simply washed away most of the tires, used as weight to secure the plastic. Two weeks ago, as Andrew looked out his window and saw the flood's destruction, it felt like the end of the world.
Time would tell, that it was not the end of the world, and the Australians are not an easily defeated bunch. In fact, there is a happy ending to this saga. As the waters receded and the land began to dry out, waves of volunteers poured in. Almost prophetically, local governments and municipalities were quickly overwhelmed, unable to provide relief. One Australian went so far as to say, "Our local shire was bloody useless - all kinds of paperwork, with no results." But like I said, the Aussies are not easily defeated.
Local private businesses, ranging in diversity from pubs to banks to restaurants, sent their employees out as volunteer labor. Literally, businesses paid their workers to go from door to door, offering assistance to residents in need. Quickly, houses in the affected areas began to clean up. First, carpet and linoleum was ripped up and replaced. Then, broken appliances were hauled away. Finally, ductwork and landscaping was tended to. As Andrew's wife Belinda commuted to and from town for supplies, she described a chronological display of restoration: "First were the essentials, and then came the next important things, right down to the shrubs in the front yard."
Most impressive was a crew of volunteers who showed up at Andrew's farm. He described the account with great interest and appreciation:
One day shortly after the flood, the phone rang. On the line was a representative from the Rotary Club of Melbourne. A group of Rotary members had seen Andrew's plight in Rochester, and were wondering if perhaps they could be of assistance? Most interesting was the fact that they had contacted the local government, and were "blown off." So the Rotary Club went over the heads of the local shire and called Andrew personally. Soon thereafter, they were on their way.
Andrew described a fleet of brand-new luxury SUVs rolling in his driveway. Obviously, they were not from around here. One by one, the volunteers filed out, wondering what they could do to help. What an interesting display of diversity - quite possibly the last group of people one would expect to show up on a dairy farm, to lend a hand. Here was a prominent bank executive from Melbourne. Another gentleman was franchise head of all the Taco Bell restaurants of Australia. Still another was involved with security and fencing at the Albert Park Formula One Raceway of Melbourne.
After seeing the severity of the situation in rural Victoria, these men and women literally dropped what they were doing and drove to the countryside to help.
In the 110-degree summer heat, everybody chipped in and repaired the damaged sections of pasture fence. Andrew worked the hydraulic teleloader, while the Rotary Club volunteers drove posts, stretched wires, and cleaned grass from the washed-out electric lines. There was no hierarchy on this day, as everyone worked together.
They broke for lunch, and gathered at Andrew's house. There could not have been a more diverse group of people, all united together for the common good. In the shade, Andrew and his wife Belinda had a chance to converse with the people that had come so far to lend a hand. The generosity continued. The franchise owner offered coupons to his restaurants. One woman offered her beach house as a weekend vacation destination for Andrew and his family. She promised, that the kids would love it - the pool is filled with seawater directly from the ocean. Andrew had to laugh; the situations people come from, and the circumstances that bring them together are incredible.
At least in rural Victoria, life is beginning to return to some form of normalcy. Andrew's cows are back up to their pre-flood production levels, and neighboring farms have donated tons and tons of much-needed forage. If nothing else, the saga has proved that people, regardless of their circumstances and affluence, are generally good, and charitable.
Actually, I kind of like how Tim, a friend of mine from Melbourne, summed up the whole situation. In an e-mail he remarked, "Ya know, everyone just wants to put the boot in everyone else until something bad happens. Then we all look out for each other. Isn't it great?"
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
The gravity of the situation my friends have endured has finally sunk in, thanks to the scores of photos e-mailed and linked throughout the past three weeks. One photo, taken from altitude, features Andrew's dairy farm, completely blanketed by a grimy mantle of greenish-brown liquid. Sure enough, as he stated, the only dry area was a thin slab of concrete, barely large enough for half of his 500-head herd of dairy cattle. This snapshot, taken from a helicopter in the blink of an eye, clearly shows a mass of Brown Swiss cows, all struggling to stay out of the slurry.
The cows' plight was not the only feature of this snapshot. The farm driveway is obscured by water, round bales appear as blips in a lake, and even the massive bag of corn silage is naked. The water has simply washed away most of the tires, used as weight to secure the plastic. Two weeks ago, as Andrew looked out his window and saw the flood's destruction, it felt like the end of the world.
Time would tell, that it was not the end of the world, and the Australians are not an easily defeated bunch. In fact, there is a happy ending to this saga. As the waters receded and the land began to dry out, waves of volunteers poured in. Almost prophetically, local governments and municipalities were quickly overwhelmed, unable to provide relief. One Australian went so far as to say, "Our local shire was bloody useless - all kinds of paperwork, with no results." But like I said, the Aussies are not easily defeated.
Local private businesses, ranging in diversity from pubs to banks to restaurants, sent their employees out as volunteer labor. Literally, businesses paid their workers to go from door to door, offering assistance to residents in need. Quickly, houses in the affected areas began to clean up. First, carpet and linoleum was ripped up and replaced. Then, broken appliances were hauled away. Finally, ductwork and landscaping was tended to. As Andrew's wife Belinda commuted to and from town for supplies, she described a chronological display of restoration: "First were the essentials, and then came the next important things, right down to the shrubs in the front yard."
Most impressive was a crew of volunteers who showed up at Andrew's farm. He described the account with great interest and appreciation:
One day shortly after the flood, the phone rang. On the line was a representative from the Rotary Club of Melbourne. A group of Rotary members had seen Andrew's plight in Rochester, and were wondering if perhaps they could be of assistance? Most interesting was the fact that they had contacted the local government, and were "blown off." So the Rotary Club went over the heads of the local shire and called Andrew personally. Soon thereafter, they were on their way.
Andrew described a fleet of brand-new luxury SUVs rolling in his driveway. Obviously, they were not from around here. One by one, the volunteers filed out, wondering what they could do to help. What an interesting display of diversity - quite possibly the last group of people one would expect to show up on a dairy farm, to lend a hand. Here was a prominent bank executive from Melbourne. Another gentleman was franchise head of all the Taco Bell restaurants of Australia. Still another was involved with security and fencing at the Albert Park Formula One Raceway of Melbourne.
After seeing the severity of the situation in rural Victoria, these men and women literally dropped what they were doing and drove to the countryside to help.
In the 110-degree summer heat, everybody chipped in and repaired the damaged sections of pasture fence. Andrew worked the hydraulic teleloader, while the Rotary Club volunteers drove posts, stretched wires, and cleaned grass from the washed-out electric lines. There was no hierarchy on this day, as everyone worked together.
They broke for lunch, and gathered at Andrew's house. There could not have been a more diverse group of people, all united together for the common good. In the shade, Andrew and his wife Belinda had a chance to converse with the people that had come so far to lend a hand. The generosity continued. The franchise owner offered coupons to his restaurants. One woman offered her beach house as a weekend vacation destination for Andrew and his family. She promised, that the kids would love it - the pool is filled with seawater directly from the ocean. Andrew had to laugh; the situations people come from, and the circumstances that bring them together are incredible.
At least in rural Victoria, life is beginning to return to some form of normalcy. Andrew's cows are back up to their pre-flood production levels, and neighboring farms have donated tons and tons of much-needed forage. If nothing else, the saga has proved that people, regardless of their circumstances and affluence, are generally good, and charitable.
Actually, I kind of like how Tim, a friend of mine from Melbourne, summed up the whole situation. In an e-mail he remarked, "Ya know, everyone just wants to put the boot in everyone else until something bad happens. Then we all look out for each other. Isn't it great?"
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
