Same Place, Different Disasters Watercolour and felt tip pen Bridget Marshall University of New South Wales (VI) These three artworks represent the challenges regional and rural Australian communities are facing due to increasing natural disasters. I moved to Port Macquarie at the end of 2019 for the final two years of my medical degree. At this time, the Black Summer bushfires were raging across the region. The spectacular beaches of Port Macquarie were emptied by the smoke in the air. As soon as people started to trickle back in, COVID-19 arrived. Once again the beaches were quiet, the tourists were gone and blue masks littered the sand. This was followed by a wet summer and an even wetter March, with the Mid-North Coast experiencing significant flooding. Homes and businesses were damaged, and the beaches once again were littered with debris. Every-time our rural communities start to get back on their feet, they receive another blow. As a community, country, and people, we need to think about whether this is the ‘New Frontier’ we want. If the answer is no, we need to decide now what actions we’re going to take.
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