IMPACT ZONE: Stories from the Floods

In this episode, Nidala, a First Nations artist and teacher at the local bush school shares her experience volunteering at Australia’s leading Indigenous newspaper, the Koori Mail. We explore the emergence of a deep understanding of community, the role of listening in leadership, the stages of community recovery and discover the power of matriarchy.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains recounts and discussion of death. If you do need extra support at this time, please text 0488 848 782 to speak to a counsellor on our Self-Service Textline, or call the Lifeline helpline on 131114. In this episode local painter/DJ Lachlan Berry and surfboard shaper Eden Saul document their time on the ground working as civilians in water and land rescue efforts. We listen to these grisly scenes with the understanding that they only mark the beginning of a recovery, led by the sentiment of: If not us, then who?

A tired Jack Bailey joined us in Channel Void HQ to recount initial days of the civilian rescue missions in the flood affected region of the Northern Rivers. Jack, a local artist and RFS volunteer, fell on his feet to join a group of brave, renegade rescuers who traversed collapsed terrain and the rage of river crossings in the mountainous areas of the Northern Rivers. Some of these areas such as Main Arm, Mt Jerusalem, The Channon and Upper Wilson’s Creek still remain at threat of landslides and isolation. For some living in these areas, we understand that is the exact allure of the hills- to be separate from the world. The unspeakable horrors for victims and rescuers alike, after the rain, is what we begin to document.