OPINION: Don't let the drought divide us further

Divide and conquer is a war strategy that has seen the test of time, but it has never been more evident than it is today.

Don't let drought further divide our region. Picture: Contributed

DIVIDE and conquer is a war strategy that has seen the test of time. It may have been under the rule of Julius Caesar that this strategy became "a thing”, but it has never been more evident than it is today.

There is no doubt there has always been a Stanthorpe/Warwick rivalry. It began, no differently to most small communities, on the sporting fields. No matter what sport, it was a dirty, all-in, mudslinging grudge match played with all the pride our town could muster.

Then came forced amalgamation. If the sport rivalry wasn't enough, throw in being told you have to share a council with the town next door. Suddenly your region had a new name - the Southern Downs - and no matter what fight you put up, your voice would go unheard. This was the new us and, like it or hate it, the battle grounds were drawn.

What the State Government achieved was a greater divide between our two regions. It was almost like you could draw a line at the top of Braeside and ask both sides to take a seat in their corner, tighten their gloves and await the bell.

Division is nothing new to humans. These divisions are what makes us who we are. But when you try to use the divide and conquer strategy against a region like the Granite Belt, what happens is people start to rediscover what it is that made them so great to begin with. And Suddenly the conquer tactic starts to crumble.

See divide and conquer may be a great war strategy, but it is not an unbeatable one.

The problem is just when you think you have jumped the second last hurdle, someone places another 20 in front of you.

This time Mother Nature has joined the fight and she has hit us with an evil blow: drought. I am sure she didn't send this drought to divide and conquer us but throw in a little human element and that is exactly what seems to be happening. As if the Warwick/Granite Belt division wasn't bad enough; we are now witnessing rural v urban, neighbour v neighbour.

Over something we tend to take for granted: water.

What we need to do is just to take a step back. It may not be easy to find the winning strategy, but the truth is that we, the Granite Belt, are in this together. We are the only ones who can fight this battle with our eyes wide open and we know that we must fight it on our own.

Whilst it is easy to sit back and play the blame games against each other, against council, against government, the truth is it is not going to get us anywhere, except one step closer to a breakdown We may all know the truth, but on this occasion, it isn't going to set us free.

So where to from here? Remember we are all part of the Granite Belt. We are all suffering the effects of drought. Be it our livestock, our business, our home or our garden, every single person is suffering in their own way. Find a way to help each other. That product you were going to buy online, buy it locally. Support your local farmer by buying local produce. Buy a bale and give it to someone who has livestock.

Practise as many water saving tips as you can. Don't be afraid to ask for help or to offer it.

Pay it forward and continue jumping those hurdles.

At the end of the day we need to take a good hard look at the nature of this divide and conquer strategy and realise this vicious cycle will lead to our destruction if we don't stand united. It will rain, but it is how we move forward that will be our saviour.