Elderly battler is the real face of drought in our region

AN ELDERLY woman's heartache and desperation was clear as she searched for a lifeline at SDRC office.

An elderly woman's heartache and desperation was clear as she searched for a lifeline at SDRC office. Picture: iTobi

AS RESIDENTS of the Southern Downs, and wider Australia as a collective, pray for rain it's easy to forget about the real human face of the water shortage.

Yesterday I was paying my rates and began talking to a lovely elderly lady who was finding out possible options she could to access water for her horses.

The lady was from Deuchar, named after pioneer stock breeder John Deuchar - the first to import shorthorn bulls to the Downs, and she was a retired pensioner who lived by herself on a small block.

She mentioned her horses were her family and, when she felt overwhelmed, she could cuddle her mares and everything would be better.

She made the agonising choice to sell her horses but, in the current drought conditions and with the age of her equines, there was no-one who wanted them.

She is running low on water and had called around to find a load. The cheapest option was $275, an unobtainable amount for a single age pensioner, on top of her own costs and the rising costs of stock feed.

She also said she couldn't afford the cost of using council standpipes and, because she would be using the water for stock, was ineligible to use the water anyway.

It was heart wrenching listening to her story and not be able to do anything to help.

For the record, I think the council is doing a good job managing this crisis, after all it's not councillors' fault it doesn't rain.

But I do call on both federal and state governments to take a look at aged pensioners in drought-affected rural areas and find out what they can do to help.

Nick Inmon,

Rural Weekly GM

Originally published as Elderly battler is the real face of drought in our region