Australian Fires and Community Goodwill

by Beth McHugh | More from this Blogger

16 Feb 2009 04:27 PM

No doubt the news of the devastating bushfires in Victoria, Australia has filtered around newsrooms and living rooms alike around the world. The state of Victoria is reeling from the death of nearly 200 people at last count. And that doesn't include the injured, the loss of property and cattle and of course the loss of native flora and fauna. The situation has indeed been devastating.

And despite the fact that the combination of extremely hot and dry weather combined with one or two firebugs who decided to have some very misguided "fun", some wonderful things have come out of these devastating fires. The sense of community in those left behind, the pouring out of sentiment from all Australians, the concern for the lives of those remaining and the enormous amount of money collected in telethons and by private donation shows that the human spirit is indeed alive and well.

Despite the doom and gloom we read in the paper of man's inhumanity to man, it takes a situation like this to reassure us that we are still indeed human and we do care for others, even others we do not know.

Apart from the huge donations from Australians, there were generous private and public donations from the US, the UK, New Zealand, Asia and European countries. In times like this, we realize that despite our differences, we are all human and we understand pain and loss.

And the pain and loss of the people of Victoria is enormous indeed with stories so horrific that one wonders at the strength of character of the people remaining who will go back to their burnt patches of earth and start again. Yet, like other people in other situations worldwide, these incidences serve to remind us not only of the strength of the human character but also the generosity of the human spirit.

To all those who have donated to the Australian Bush Fire Appeal or made donations to that effect to the Australian Red Cross, thank you.

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Learn more about Beth McHugh

Beth McHugh began her career as a geologist and worked both in industry and as a university researcher.

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Dale Harcombe (10327) 16 Feb 2009 06:51 PM

Yes, Australia has been hit hard but as often happens some good comes out of the disaster. It is indeed wonderful to see how people have responded. It's something that has made us all stop and think and empathise with others in their loss, imagine how we might feel if it was us. http://marriage.families.com/blog/before-disaster-comes-show-your-love Of course the horrid part is that in the north of Australia they are battling floods. From one extreme to the other.