Rains, MPs, And Goodbyes

What a week, huh? So much unrelenting rain I was beginning to understand what Noah must have felt like when he built his Ark. Thankfully, this region didn’t suffer like our cousins up north did, where there’s no signs of it slowing either with yet more rain forecast.

It’s a good reminder of what matters and what doesn’t when you see so much devastation.

Our sister paper, Hinchinbrook Life, up in Ingham however, lost power in the deluge and floods and will now run a special ‘Flood Edition’ late this week or early next weather permitting. It’s still touch and go whether we’ll be able to get this week’s issue of Burdekin Life out on time on account of our printer being based in Townsville, with some roads remaining cut off. (If you’re reading a printed copy of this on Thursday, you know we got through).

I’ve lived in several regions that suffer their own natural disasters, including three years in Mexico, which like Far North Queensland, has wet and dry seasons. At least in Mexico the rain stops after a few hours. The continual rain for days here beggars belief.

In between the big wet, I met MP for Dawson, Andrew Willcox for a sit-down chat. I’d always heard nothing but good things about him. A man of the people, and of his word. Anyone who speaks out on the Misinformation and Disinformation bill gets my vote. Crazy to think freedom of speech may not be a right.

Andrew’s a lot like many of you, a farmer by trade, he’s now taken to politics and cares about the things that matter in this region – agriculture, communities, roads, people. He was an easy bloke to talk with.

Lastly, we said goodbye to Miss Chelsea Ravizza, the local cadet journalist here who now ventures off on her big adventure overseas. A true rockstar within these pages, while she will be missed, I cannot fault her desire – I was the same age when I first headed off overseas. Good luck Chelsea, go blaze your own trail!

‍