Page 19 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 11 February 2020
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We have seen Canberra come out at its best. There was a spontaneous outpouring of support for people at the coast that was facilitated by Andrew Dale and his great team of vollies, volunteers, based around his food business, the “G” Spot in Gungahlin. These men and women, mostly from Gungahlin and the surrounding area, worked day and night to pack trucks full of slabs of water, non-perishable food and necessities. They called out to the community for help to get it down to the affected fire regions. People poured out their time, money and resources to help.
A special shout out to Paulie and Maria from Modern Concrete, who spent over $7,000 on fuel, driving their trucks up and down the coast over a number of weeks. Paulie was maintaining his business at the same time, leaving in the dark of night to drive these goods down to people in need at the coast. This was before government and other services were really up and running, taking supplies to people who had really hit rock bottom. Paulie told me how at Cobargo they were out of water and food and were just so stressed. Some of them at that time had not even been back to their houses, afraid of what they would find. They were raw. These generous Canberra legends turned up, not seeking any attention but doing what they knew was right for people under a lot of pressure.
This is what makes Canberra a great place: people like Paulie, Andrew, Maria and all the really kind, big-hearted people around Andrew and the “G” Spot up there in Gungahlin. I felt as though what I do every day does not really measure up to them and the impact that they have had on people who needed it the most. Just this weekend, he and his team delivered 10 cars to families who had lost everything down the coast.
I would also like to acknowledge Kate Tonacia and Fenji Stradwick from Picking Up the Peaces, who are experts at PTSD and mental health, who have helped out in that group as well.
At the same time, the showground at Queanbeyan was filling up with people needing to be away from the coast for a few days or weeks. Within hours of their arriving, many generous people from Canberra and Queanbeyan were out there helping.
A special mention to the Canberra Sikh community, whose response was led by Amardeep Singh. We have seen the Sikh people show their very community service oriented nature during these fires. They are generous people, with a skill for bulk cooking, which is something they do every weekend at the temple in Weston. An amazing couple who emigrated from India, Jagjit and Kulwinder Singh, and their motel, Hamilton’s, at Queanbeyan put up those who needed a bed, sometimes at a discounted rate and with very generous support for those who really needed it. They hosted the New Zealand firefighters who came to help us and ran a thankyou barbecue for all they have done for us and our region. Throughout these troubling times, these are the people that you want to have in your community. (Extension of time granted.)
The Sikhs of Canberra are a group we are very blessed to have here. We already owe much to them as givers in Canberra. They put out a call to their own people and collected so much food and supplies within 24 hours that they had to work hard to give it all away. Well done; you make us proud.
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