After the holiday season was hit by devastating natural disasters, Orange Sky staff and volunteers quickly mobilised to support the affected communities in Far North Queensland. Our response included sending mobile laundry vans to Cairns, Mossman and Cooktown, where we supported the communities with 518 loads of laundry, 12 showers and hours of conversation. This was all in addition to our ongoing services in Cairns.
At the heart of our efforts were volunteers like Mary-Anne, who has devoted over seven years to Orange Sky. Her experiences offer a firsthand look at the resilience and strength of communities facing disaster.
“As part of an Orange Sky Emergency Response Team in the aftermath of Cyclone Jasper, Lesley, Tom, Rex and I travelled to Cooktown and set up shift at the Cooktown PCYC to help friends from the Wujal Wujal community and other impacted residents from outlying areas of Cooktown. The following week volunteers Jan and Lauren joined us in Cairns, helping flood affected residents of the Machans Beach community. In both locations we were truly humbled by friends who found positivity in the face of such adversity.
When friends using our service tell you sentiments like …
”I just want to go home”…
”Yeah, now the midgies have started”
“I miss my dogs, they’re my life”
”All my work gear in the shed, it’s gone”
”We couldn’t afford contents insurance”
”I just keep throwing stuff out”
When you see water marks high up on curtains, when you need to add antiseptic to each load, you wash a load twice to remove the mud and when you hang washing out in the sun to try and take out some of the smell – our friends see what our service can provide and they smile and nod; this all takes a little piece of your heart.
There was the shy smile and a quiet thank you, the firm handshake and a nod of thanks, the box of chocolates and a note saying “thank you for helping my community” left propped against the door of our accommodation. The Cooktown local who saw us in the IGA and came over to thank us for coming, a man who bought us coffees, the flood affected resident who had to move out of her house but wanted us to access her water for laundry shifts, the local man who gave us a gift of mangoes and the young father who placed his hand on his chest and said…”From my heart to yours, thank you.”
All of us volunteers were proud to wear the Orange Sky shirts and we all felt so very privileged to be able to help.
-Mary-Anne Cahill, Orange Sky Volunteer.
