Born in the bush: Regional initiatives emerge to combat COVID-19 challenges
Community spirit is alive and well in Australia’s regional towns during these troubling times, with many local initiatives emerging that aim to give vulnerable people a helping hand.
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An iPad loan service for elderly residents to order medicine and donating coffees for heroes on the frontline of rural health are some of ways regional communities are rallying to combat the challenges of COVID-19.
The pandemic has prompted creative campaigns from generous Australians in every corner of the country from people donating scrubs, extra grocery deliveries for elderly neighbours and new ways to support small businesses.
In rural and remote areas, where people are used to overcoming barriers of distance, there has been a growing shift to online services to keep businesses running and allow people to stay connected with loved ones and their doctors through telehealth conferences.
In Violet Town, in northeast Victoria, volunteers have been dropping off iPads in letterboxes of older residents to use for medical video calls.
The iPads are then collected from the letterbox and disinfected, ready to be distributed to the next house.
The idea came from a community Facebook group called Violet Town Helping Hands, started by friends Annette Walton and Kirsten Larsen.
The pair initially got the town’s police officer and fire brigade captain onboard and have since recruited dozens of helpers.
“We’re lucky we’ve already got a community foodshare group and existing community groups like the Lions club doing wood delivery and things like that, but we thought we need to fill in the other gaps,” she said. “It’s a way to pool ideas and get people together to support each other”.
Ms Walton said the district had an ageing population so there was a focus on looking out for older people, and an emphasis on supporting local businesses and helping them adapt to new models such as home delivery.
“It’s looking at how we can sustain our town so that in six or 12 months whenever this is done we come out of it with still having a community and have that vibrancy.”
Regional Australia Institute CEO Liz Ritchie said there were countless positive stories emerging from rural areas.
“I think regions are famous for being community-minded in a way that is different to metro lifestyles,” she said. “It’s that sense of belonging and finding ways to support each other and keeping that connectivity, which is vital.”
Ms Ritchie said while many were doing it tough, she was optimistic regional towns would be in a good position in the post-pandemic economy.
“Regional communities have managed crisis after crisis; drought, bushfires and now the pandemic, so I think they’re well placed to be resilient and ready to bounce back.”
The task of tackling the virus in some of our most remote locations has been led by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which has already transported more than 180 suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients.
While its major fundraising events have been grounded due to social distancing, the service’s chief executive Scott Chapman said individual donors had been digging deep to support their COVID-19 appeal, ensuring staff have enough personal protective equipment.
“When the chips are down Australians step up,” Mr Chapman said.
“We witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of support with the bushfires earlier in the year and that has continued through the challenge of COVID-19.”
One initiative generating extra incentive to pop into your local cafe is the ‘Buy Them a Coffee’ campaign, where people can shout coffees for healthcare workers.
Campaign co-founder Sally O’Brien, from Wollongong in New South Wales, said she was looking for a way to support her local community and show thanks to tireless healthcare staff. The concept has been taken up in multiple regional centres and most major cities in Australia and New Zealand, recently reaching 28,000 coffees donated.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with the generosity and support we’ve received,” Ms O’Brien said.
Originally published as Born in the bush: Regional initiatives emerge to combat COVID-19 challenges