A simple white T-shirt with the words “I’d still rather live in Rochy!” — worn by former Mayor, and passionate Rochester resident, Leigh Wilson — struck a cord with me after I watched from afar the amazing recovery work of the Campaspe river community.
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Often, at least these days of social media over-exaggeration, the exclamation mark is used in the wrong context — on this occasion, it wasn’t.
In fact, the exclamation mark could well have found its way onto the end of several sentences to describe the feeling of the Rochester community — post the October 14 flood event.
Rarely has there been such an unselfish and “community oriented’’ — as cliched as it sounds — effort to achieve to a common goal.
Amazing in itself as it would have been extremely easy, and understandable, to see people withdrawing into their own space to try and put their own affairs in order before worrying about the plight of other town residents.
That couldn’t have been more untrue of the people who combined their skillsets and enthusiasm to convert Victoria St’s Presbyterian Church to a “base of operations’’ for the recovery effort.
I made intermittent trips into the Rochester community from the Tuesday after the flood event and have been in the town a couple of times a week ever since.
Every time I am there is another story, either shared with me or obvious to the eye by the activity on the ground, that explains why Rochester will come out the other side of this most devastating event.
An unusual sense of understanding exists within the population of Rochester, or at least with those I speak to, where they realise many of them are in a more fortunate situation than others.
There was unanimous grief at news of a death in the town during the flood and this week the town will comfort one another again when community identity Kevin Wills is laid to rest.
He epitomised the attitude of many Rochester people, most who are involved in at least one — if not multiple — groups in a volunteer role to ensure a full list of extra curricular activities is offered to the community.
From the moment the floods hit those with the capability have swung into action, others doing whatever they could amid coping with the emotional and financial cost of the flood.
There have been a series of staged responses to the crisis, it began with people making sure their neighbours were safe, and had a way out of harms way on that perilous weekend that claimed one Rochester life.
It then progressed to ensuring the interim time frame, from that Friday lunch time that the river made its intentions clearly known to late Sunday afternoon when people in four-wheel drives were able to access their properties to inspect the damage.
It has then moved on to concentrating on helping people to live some sort of life while they emptied the contents of their homes onto nature strips and then saw it piled onto mountainous rubbish heaps at a couple of temporary locations on the edge of the town.
And now, almost a month after the flood, there is a focus on supporting from within — enabling an often self-sufficient town to allow the heart of Rochester to return to a regular beat.
Still the deflection of praise continues among the key players in the recovery effort.
If you speak to Rochester Community House chair Jane Reid she will say how amazing house co-ordinator Amanda Logie has been, talk to Cate Walk and she will immediately deflect any praise in another direction or ask Campaspe Shire’s Paul Jarman for a front and centre presence in a photo opportunity and he will immediately slide into the back row.
In what has become known widely as a “social media disaster” event the Rochester Community Page has been the “real time’’ provider of information to the community — often with a sense of humour that would have edged a smile onto the faces of even the most dour of individual.
From pointing the finger at unknown individuals helping themselves to “poo-flavoured’’ goods that lay on the side of the road to almost nightly tongue-in-cheek words of wisdom to provide some levity amid the devastation of the flood.
Rochester’s rural community has, to some extent, been the silent victim of the flood as the compact and confronting sites of the town aren’t as front of mind on the surrounding farms.
Bi-partisan political action in the Rochester community has come at a difficult time, amid state election campaigning, when the town’s situation could have easily become a political football.
State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh occasionally applied a tight grip to a pressure point on the neck of the state Labor government, but Premier Dan Andrews did respond by being on the ground at an important time to show his support.
Mr Walsh, and Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell, enlisted their own heavyweight support when Nationals leader David Littleproud landed in Rochester to listen to members of the town’s residential and farming communities.
Long-time Labor politician, and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten offered an understanding ear to Rochester and Elmore District Health Service chief executive officer Karen Laing and then took the time to hear out Nanneella farmer Alastair Gibson, alongside Chris Howard from the Rural Financial Counselling Service.
Then there are the business leaders who, on the back of losing thousands of dollars of product and potential earnings, have had the single goal of returning to regular operation as quickly as possible.
Not with the goal of returning a regular income to their own coffers, but to ensure that those in the town are not forced to look elsewhere for the products and services they rely on for daily operation.
Continuing the “think of others first’’ approach to this recovery effort are the almost daily examples of people dropping tools on their own site to lend some extra muscle or expertise at another location.
Its now time, according to those in the know, that the community tightens its fist for the recovery fight even that little bit more as doors start to re-open and people can finally assess the full cost of the flood event to their lives.
The fight is now on in earnest to ensure Rochester rises from the disaster, several of the key businesses in the town now throwing open their doors after completing — as much as they can — the recovery and clean-up process
Major’s IGA is back to its seven-day-a-week operation, trading from 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday, from 8am to 6pm Saturday and 9am to 4pm Sunday.
Its online store is open, while deliveries and click and collect are available Monday to Friday.
Pharmacist Brett Phillips said his business are now open to customers, folding up the card table that served as a front counter for a few weeks.
“Our little team has worked super hard to clean and prepare the shop to make it safe and ready for customers to enter again,” he said on Facebook.
He was one of many businesses who benefitted from the work of staff, family, friends and volunteers who rolled up their sleeves, so the chemist could remain open for our community.
And while the work of these volunteers and the contributions of so many to “feed and water” the Rochester community has been vital it is “cold hard cash’’ that is now so vital to the community.
A Flood Recovery Account set up by the Rochester community 11 years ago has been re-activated and will offer financial support to those affected by the worst flood in its town’s history.
Rochester Community House president Jane Reid said it was important people understood that donations to the Rochester Community Bank — Flood Recovery Account would go to Rochester people.
Ms Reid, who alongside Community House co-ordinator Amanda Logie, had been based at the volunteer recovery centre for more than a week, said financial support would be vital to the recovery effort.
Details of the Rochester Community Bank — Flood Recovery Account are: Bendigo Bank. BSB: 633 000. Account: 197 548 621.
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