As we welcome rain back to eastern Australia, it's worth spending a moment to remember the Aussie farmers who didn't make it through the #
bigdry intact and lost everything. There were a lot of suicides.
Those in other countries may not really appreciate what exactly went down here. Aussie farmers are the toughest of the tough. They're proud. They don't ask for help. They tough it out quietly without any fanfare or recongition. They're scraping out an existence in some of the most hostile conditions on earth outside the polar regions. They're carrying on a 60,000 year old tradition of making do and feeding their families through unpredictable weather and inhospitable conditions. So when they say "this is the worst in memory", they're drawing on a very long collective memory. It was really, really bad.
One thing is certain, the #
bigdry will return. Next time it could be even worse. It isn't the end of the story because rainfall is still down by around 75-80% over "normal" years and summer is just about to hit with a vengeance. Today, the water tanks are full again, so those that have been holding back can take a bath. It isn't time to be complacent, but it's a good time to take a moment and give thanks. We made it through the spring of 2018.
