Matty Johns column: My South Sydney son put pandemic into perspective
My usual reaction to certain crises - like many other Aussies - is a “She’ll be right mate” attitude. But it took my devastated son, who had returned from Rabbitohs training, to put this pandemic into perspective.
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Just over a week ago I realised the naivety of my “she’ll be right mate” attitude.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, after consultation with Australia’s pandemic experts, declared we were headed for our greatest challenge as a nation since World War II and the Great Depression.
Day by day more and more of the things we take for granted have been closed off or taken away from us.
Who would have thought there would be a time when patting a mate on the back, or greeting them with a handshake, would be viewed as dangerous? But here we are.
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I talk to friends each day who are financially and emotionally shattered, and it’s happened so quickly.
A month ago the rugby league world’s biggest concern was surrounding the latest Tina Turner commercial. Talk about small potatoes.
On Tuesday, my son Jack returned from Rabbitohs training completely rattled after witnessing the retrenchment of coaching and support staff. These were people he had grown close to. They had got him fit, treated his injuries, passed on advice and expertise. They were part of the Souths family. Now they were holding Centrelink forms.
This is happening right across the game. It’s happening right across the country. It’s happening right across the world.
You realise you’ve been living in La La Land with “she’ll be right”.
That’s where my wife is different. Trish suffers none of my naivety. She grew up in a house which was only too aware of how quickly the storm clouds can roll in.
The Magnocavallos are an Italian family, and Trish is the youngest of seven children.
Trish’s mum and dad, Connie and Tony, lived through WWII in Italy and experienced every bit of the loss that the horror of war can deliver.
They grew up in Serracapriola, a little town down south on the Adriatic coast.
Before the war, Connie’s family was both happy and financially comfortable, her father a respected police officer in the town.
World War II changed everything. It brought the death of her father and complete financial ruin.
When Connie and Tony married, the family scrapped and borrowed just enough money for a pair of wedding shoes.
I’m in awe of the toughness that Trish’s mum and dad have.
They came to Australia to start a new life with no money. When Connie boarded the ship she had no idea where Australia was or how long it would take to get here.
They arrived speaking no English, but worked their backsides off, rebuilt their lives and raised a family.
Their story is the story of so many from that time.
I write this because there are people and families who, in what must feel like a blink of an eye, have had their lives turned upside down and pulled inside out. They are being forced to rebuild.
And that is certainly going to be the case with rugby league. But if we can learn from those in the past, and bind tight, we will get through it.