Police tape goes up as the streets start to flood. Pic: Joanne Lane, www.visitedplanet.com

This week it’s a year since the base for Visited Planet went underwater in the 2011 floods. While we’re sitting high and dry here now, repairs to the house as yet are still unfinished, although nearing completion.

It’s incredible to reflect back on what we were doing a year ago – madly evacuating computers, photographic and personal items out of the house as the waters rose around us and up into the property. It was a dreadful time; exhausting and debilitating in many ways but also an incredible time of community and friendship as people came to help and assist – many whom we didn’t even know.

It was wonderful to see Queenslanders, many of whom were hurting also, donate money and items to their fellow statesmen and women. I remember a young Indian woman, maybe not so long arrived in Australia, coming with lamingtons (a traditional Aussie cake) and handing them out as if to say “yeah this is my country too now and I want to be part of that even in the worst of times”. It seemed to reflect a wonderful part of what Australia is on about.

There were so many other moving moments: food donated by old ladies, students and kids who wanted to do their bit, a man that drove up from Sydney to help and others from the Gold Coast, a mother who brought her First Aid kit and went around doctoring our cuts, the thousands who picked up mops and buckets and took to the streets like an army to help clean up, the food and drinks we were given, the barbecues we had with our neighbours, countless hours of help, a bed to sleep in for two weeks while the house was uninhabitable… it goes on and on.

As we look back on that experience, and move forward with our lives, it’s easy to become complacent again about life in a developed nation like Australia. While wishing everyone a safe and happy 2012, let’s not forget the lessons of 2011: community, friendship, assistance, kindness and generosity.

Happy New Year.

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Feel free to email Jo at [email protected] with your comments/thoughts/photo aspirations. See and learn more at www.visitedplanet.com