When rural Australians spruik the benefits of country over city living, they often cite the profound sense of community in regional centres. In good times, this kinship might be a smile on the street; in bad times, it could be a stranger risking their life to save yours.
It’s akin, perhaps, to drifting on the open sea in a rubber dingy with four strangers. You may not have much in common with your boatmates. You may not even like them. But you’re there together, facing the same waves, storms and sharks. What’s more, you’re all each other has and few things foster connection quicker than shared time and adversity. It’s why, in regional centres separated by distances as vast as the metaphorical ocean and with no shortage of adversity to bond over, communities become families. But it’s also why what’s occurring at the outskirts of these towns and cities is so unsettling.
