A Chinese saying goes: ‘Better to be a dog in times of tranquillity than a human in times of chaos’.
I’ll certainly woof to that.
The muddy disaster of Splendour in the Grass was another symptom of the chaotic times we now live in.
While people desperately tried to enjoy themselves despite everything, not so far away were families camping out, beside their uninhabitable homes destroyed by floods a few months earlier.
There are literally thousands of people who are essentially homeless, and not just from those floods, but also from the giant fires – you know, the ones that destroyed millions of acres of forest while our then Prime Minister was holidaying in Hawaii.
The pandemic closed Splendour in the Grass for a couple of years, and the organisers were determined to go ahead this time, and even jacked up the attendance capacity to fifty thousand to cash in on the pent-up demand for live music and fun.
NSW Greens MLC Sue Higginson represented the community, when she was a lawyer, trying to prevent the organisers using this fraught site for the festival as it is a sacred place for local Indigenous people, with priceless wildlife habitat – and it’s flood prone.
Eventually, the State Liberal Nationals government overrode the community in favour of the site’s owners. Splendour in the Grass organisers trumpeted that you wouldn’t find a throw away cup at the festival, in a vain attempt to gain green credentials.
Now there are throw away tents, sleeping bags and gum boots, but hey, let’s not get picky. Then there was the no-small-matter of performers flying halfway around the world to be there, and fifty thousand people flying and driving there.
Has anyone estimated the total carbon footprint?
While this is taking place in our swampy back yard, there are deadly serious issues looming large. Australia is facing a dire shortage of critical pharmaceuticals for treatment of diabetes, stroke, leukaemia, and flu and colds. A pharmacist in Byron Bay waved his hands in the air and said ‘It’s end days’ when my partner attempted to buy Panadol and fill a script for a common antibiotic. He didn’t appear to be joking.
There are 320 drugs listed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) as currently in short supply and another 80 may soon be added to the list.
Just what is going on? We used to make lots of our own drugs before the mad drive to globalise. Remember we used to make cars in Australia too?
All that changed when the fanatical globalists took over.
We’re beginning to pay a heavy price. Our pharmaceuticals are now mostly made in China and India. Not only are covid shutdowns causing supply disruptions, but huge increased demand caused by people falling sick is mopping up supplies.
It’s likely a significant number of people will be put at risk by not being able to buy their life-saving medications.
While many are already suffering in Australia from the effects of the climate emergency, the situation globally is not looking good either.
You’ve seen the houses and forests burning in Europe, but have you seen how twenty million people are facing starvation in the Horn of Africa? Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya have had the fourth inadequate rainy season in a row. It’s the worst drought in forty years. Yemen, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Congo, Haiti are all hunger hotspots.
This has been made so much worse by Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Twenty million tonnes of wheat are stuck in silos, penned in by waterways strewn with mines. Putin finally realised it would be a bad look to cause the deaths of millions of people by blocking desperately needed wheat. He reluctantly signed an agreement to allow it to be shipped, but showed his displeasure at being forced to sign by lobbing four cruise missiles at the Port of Odesa. Two were brought down by Ukrainian defence forces, and people sunbathing on the beach clapped when they saw it. Two got through, unfortunately.
How on Earth does one cope with all this? I don’t know about you but I’m quite traumatised.
When I saw Mandy Nolan on TV the other night and they showed footage of Lismore at the height of the floods, tears started coursing down my cheeks.
Even as I write these words, my eyes are filling with tears.
I’m deeply sad and I’m certainly not alone. This is a very difficult time for many, and it’s a time for compassion, understanding and real tolerance. Those shocking floods brought out the best in our community. We came together and helped each other. Groups of young volunteers went from house to house offering help.
We need this wonderful community spirit to continue. The future of our young people is at risk, and we need to do everything we can to harness our energies – planting trees, making our living spaces safe from future floods, and doing what we can to secure our local food security. Working together as one united community we can overcome so many obstacles.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
