On the sidewalk in front of the local music shop in Mullumbimby, two women wipe down ukuleles and violins and place them carefully atop their canvas cases to dry. A parade of a hundred or more instruments – drums, tambourines, cellos, xylophones – line the footpath and back alley, taking advantage of the day’s sunny weather.
The women, who are flood volunteers like so many of the clean-up workers in the local stores, stop occasionally to talk to locals who manoeuvre their way around the instruments with great care. As important as clearing out the moisture and the mould, hearing is healing. Everyone has a story – their own or someone else’s.
