Regrowth: Bushland, Business, Community

Last Sunday I hiked the Lobethal Bushland Park. This had long been an untouched remnant of bushland just outside of the town of Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills until it was completely burned out by the Cudlee Creek bushfire in late 2019. Similar devastation affected much of the surrounding area and indeed many other parts of Australia at that time.

Just over one year on, the scene is very different. New life is everywhere as the bush regenerates and the whole park has a feeling of energy and optimism. The ground is sprouting with tree saplings striving to replace the old stringybarks that were lost. Trees that were damaged by the fire are regrowing from their trunks and abandoning their burned out crowns. During this time the community has cleared the debris, erected new shelters, renovated the pathways and setup new signage, ensuring that this park will become a wonderful place to enjoy nature again.

As I looked at this beautiful bushland, I couldn't help but relate the bushfire to the pandemic and it brought me great hope for the future. The fire of COVID is still burning, but it will be extinguished. Businesses will adjust like the saplings and the trees. New businesses will emerge to vibrantly fill voids that were left and damaged businesses will innovate to thrive again. The community will respond just like at the park to reestablish those things that are important to us.

So if you are struggling at the moment, stay strong because better times will come again and perhaps in the most unexpected of ways. And when they do let's make sure that we don't forget the firefighters that stopped the fires and the nurses, doctors and scientists that stopped the virus. Thank you for your wonderful work.