JourneyOnline
GRAZIERS ROCKED by Cyclone Yasi – many of whom have barely left their properties since the natural disaster in February – met in April to fi nd out about services to help their recovery.
The “Let’s Do Lunch” gathering as organised by Frontier Services and held at Lynd Junction, 186km from Georgetown, to provide support to the community which has been largely overlooked by official recovery efforts.
The event provided a much needed opportunity for graziers and their families in the Gulf Savannah region to debrief, access help and spend time with each other.
Frontier Services Patrol Minister, Pastor Peter Harvey, said continued rain, felled trees and water-logged land had made
it hard for graziers to assess the damage, let alone track down their herd.
“Some families didn’t get off the block for five or six weeks following the cyclone,” Mr Harvey said.
“One property, northeast of Greenvale, experienced 80 per cent loss of timber, that’s 80 per cent of trees on about 80,000
acres.”
Adding to the burden, Mr Harvey said the Government’s assistance had been “extremely biased towards the coastal strip”.
The graziers are now beginning to face the financial impact on their families.
“We should be in the middle of the mustering season, but no one’s got out.
What that means is there’s no cash flow,” Mr Harvey said.
“The trucking companies have no work, because there’s no movement of cattle.
There’s going to be a roll-on effect for 12 months.”
“People do not see where things are going, it’s diffi cult to see an outcome.”
Frontier Services Savannah Regional Health Services team leader, Anna Burley, said the meeting would allow the
community to share some of the issues they are experiencing.
“Everybody has that much work going on, they do not have the time to stop and just get together and talk.
But a problem shared is a problem halved in a way,” she said.
“This event aims to build resilience among those affected by the cyclone.” Mr Harvey said: “Days like this are fantastic.
People around the area can talk to others who have been through the same things as them.
It’s a whole community thing – actually being able to be with other people again.”
A number of service providers attended the gathering including four Frontier Services programs: the Savannah Regional Health Service, the North Queensland Remote Area Families Service, Dalrymple Rural Family Support Service and Flinders Patrol Ministry.
Photo : The Frontier Service team (from left) Barb Hawes, Peter Harvey, Di Sherman, Anna Burley and Jeannie Brook at “Let’s do Lunch”. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Beisler.
