A reign that just won't end

By John Longhurst | 23 October 2022, 11:00am | comments |

And the reign continues... (Screenshot via YouTube)

Bazza joined the lament about the rain with the older blokes gathered around the bar.

“Know-all Ron” held court and cleared his throat:

“There was the big rain back in 1860. You know….. Araluen was pretty much washed away with flash flooding. In fact, a number of people lost their lives.”

A long pause and a few murmurs of concurrence.

“Timeless Tom” weighed in:

“Yeah, but this is such a long rain, Ron. It’s been going on for a long while now. Not just down here but all over the place. We are talking long-term damage from the rain and not just to roads, bridges and similar infrastructure. It’s had a huge impact on how and where we live. I reckon we need to make some pretty significant decisions.”

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Yuin Nation Elder, Noel, let out a long sigh:

“Tom is right. I reckon after a rain like this one, we need to talk about the displacement of people on a grand scale, starting with the North Coast. We can’t ignore the impact of this kind of continual rain. This long rain has caused some major damage to some of our Sacred Sites down here. It’s a good thing they are resilient.”

Noel shifted to allow Mick to join the group:

“We are just talking about this long rain, Mick.”

Mick took in the sullen faces and touched his black armband:

“Yeah, 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II is a long reign. I feel your pain. Even Bazza seems somewhat upset. Now cheer up, another reign is about to begin with King Charles III.”

Incessant rain on the tin roof stifled further conversation.

John Longhurst is a former industrial advocate and political adviser. He currently works as an English and History teacher on the South Coast of NSW.