Diary of a food survivor

Over the weekend I went to my 40th school reunion.

I am still trying to get my head around the fact that I left school all those year ago.

But here we were in an RSL club in the northern suburbs of Sydney all a little worse for wear since we left Year 12 or Year 10 back in 1984 or 1982 respectively.

We had lost a couple of girls along the way (I went to an all girls school) mainly due to breast cancer, many had moved out of the confnes of Sydney living and had gone overseas, or like me, moved to another part of Australia.

There was only a small percentage of us, but we were enthusiastic and happy to catch up with what everyone had been doing over the years.

Many I am in contact with on Facebook, so they had seen the drama of the 2022 foods and even supported me through the work they did or donated to help my family.

So understandably, the question arose a few times, asking if the house was all back together and had we moved on.

I don’t think anyone ever totally moves on from a massive event in their lives.

It simply weaves itself into the experiences and stories of our lives and in part defnes the person that we become out of it.

I will probably always be that school friend who lived through the 2022 food in the northern NSW area, just like others in my school cohort have gone through divorce, the death of a child, bankruptcy etc.

But there are also the good events in our lives that defne us.

I am also the school friend who has become a journalist and published a book.

There were others who had become cattle farmers, chemical engineers, teachers, gone on to foster children and those who had an abundance of grandchildren. The events of 2022 are only a small part of the people that we are and while it is good to talk about it, it isn’t the total sum of us, and we are here for more than just that experience. Little steps.