June 22nd, 2025Just sayin’…

Spent some birthday time on the Gold Coast and talked to the locals, as you do. Their memory of Covid is so different from those of us who spent it in Victoria.
And they feel sorry for us – although they are probably over all the Mexicans who have moved up over the past few years.
I reckon, like those who moved from Melbourne to the country, some have returned. Queensland is not a life for everyone. For me, summer is way too humid. I don’t mind the heat but the humidity leaves me dripping.
I think it must be an age thing. Kyle and I lived in Cairns many years ago, in our young days, and we didn’t have aircon in the house or the car. We never thought about it.
We also spent time in Brisbane and Main Beach on the Gold Coast – and once again, not a thought was given to the heat. You just put up with it.
And the country is not for everyone either. As people came up in their droves, often to homes bought online, I thought of the surprise they would get when they tried to call Uber Eats or Door Dash.
Or realised they had to get wood for those lovely fires – and that wood is expensive unless you want to cut it yourself and then it is a lot of hard work. Even carrying wood inside has its perils. Hello, fairly large huntsman or angry European wasp hibernating from the cold.
But back to Covid. In Queensland it was more of an inconvenience and getting vaccinated was pretty much the same. When I told locals I was up to number seven or eight, they nearly had a fit. (Although I must admit it was running rife up there the past couple of weeks, along with the flu. So maybe a few more arms came up for the jab.)
I remember making a run north in 2021. The previous year had been an absolute nightmare, with not only Covid but also losing my mum. And then in 2021 that terrible storm ripped through the region. I think it was on a Wednesday and on the Saturday Kyle came home from the gym and asked “why is the bin inside?”.
I told him we were driving to Queensland that day. Split decision – just go. And so we did. We made it to the NSW border that night and did a big fist pump as we entered Albury.
A few days later Victoria was in lockdown again but we had made it out. I remember staying in Liverpool the next night at some club and a few people were coughing. As we drove away we heard about a little lockdown for Liverpool but we just kept going. Our bad.
But all of that is behind us now, as our mental health slowly heals, well for me anyway, and it’s time for all our festivals to roll back onto the calendar. Love that!
After a few years of cancellations or scaled-back events, it seems like we are back on track and The Local is very proud to be media partners with lots of organisations. We’re talking ChillOut, Foto Biennale, Spudfest, Swiss Italian Festa, Words in Winter, CresFest, Daylesford Art Show…just to name a few.
I hope everyone gets out and supports these events because funding is hard to find, and without bums on seats, it’s easy for them to lose their way. And that is something we don’t want to happen.
Our community, as much as the keyboard warriors would have you think otherwise at times, is a wonderful place to work and live and just be. And we have great people and fantastic events which should always be celebrated.
If Covid taught us anything, and sometimes I wonder, it is that life is to be lived. And if that’s looking at art, talking about books, celebrating cultures, and even enjoying a simple spud, let’s do it. Just sayin’…