Real Heroes

It is interesting to watch how different people are reacting to the tragedies befalling Australia at the moment.

Some people who clearly don't meet the guidelines are applying for financial assistance. That doesn't worry me, I just think of them as the "av-a-go" breed, and there is nothing wrong with that. Mind you, when they get angry when we say no, that is another story.

And then there are the quiet lot that are my new heroes.

There was the gentleman affected by the floods who was philosophical about sewerage contamination ("don't worry about that I have cleaned it up") but needed a hand to repair other parts of his house. He was very clear he was only taking this as a loan and, although he wasn't sure how, he was going to give all the money back. It took a good five minutes of reassurance that while he was more than welcome to repay or return any of the money, he was entitled to the help and we didn't expect anything back. You could see the glow over the phone as he realised that he really could keep the money and that the help was genuine.

There was the elderly woman who just needed to talk - about her mother, and her kids and ... well just about anything really. She didn't want a social worker, she just wanted to chat. After being evacuated from her home 3 times in the last two weeks as the fires continue to rage, she wanted something "normal" and at that specific moment, it was chatting with me. I put aside all concerns about timing and joined in with "just chatting".

And then there was the guy who rang asking if we could perhaps help him - he had seen things people aren't meant to see and realised he needed to talk to a counsellor. This was an Aussie bloke who obviously wasn't used to asking for help, or talking about things like "feelings" but he acknowledged that he wasn't sleeping to well and was really going through a rough patch. Hearing just a general outline of his experience made me wonder why he wasn't in the fetal position sucking his thumb.

These are the real people who have really been hit by either the fires or the floods. These are the people that are my heroes for their tenacity, their dignity, their honesty, their integrity, their ability to risk being "real".

Photo: "some help" by Ronaaa