JourneyOnline
OTHER CONGREGATIONS sent money to help the people of Tully after Cyclone Yasi.
The communities linked by Frontier Services’ Midlands Patrol in Tasmania sent Rev Meg Evans.
Ms Evans candidated from Edmonton and served for some years in Far North Queensland, so she was on the phone to
friends immediately after the cyclone wrecked Tully and the surrounding area.
They joked about a pastoral visit, but the church could see the possibility.
“The communities saw it as a way we can support Tully,” said Ms Evans.
“It’s a privilege to be here.”
She described how Uniting Church members in the region held a round table meeting, listing people they knew in need
and then distributing the funds and resources sent to them.
“What was donated to them has gone to others,” she said.
“The church people here are very positive.”
While there is great frustration with unrelenting rain, tangled bureaucracy and insurance process, Ms Evans finds hope in
front yard signs such as, “Bit by bit, day by day”.
She says local people may be more comfortable talking to a woman about emotional matters.
“Perhaps it’s less threatening,” she mused.
“Blokes on their own, widowers especially, are happy to talk from the heart.”
Photo : Meg Evans in cooler weather in Tasmania. Photo courtesy of Frontier Services
