Now for a positive and uplifting message about Marysville

I had a day of mixed emotions today.

I (and I assume most of the world) have been horrified by a “religious” massacre in Afghanistan. (Link no longer available)

Today, however, I also had the reverse experience and a seriously uplifting one. This afternoon I drove through Marysville. For those that don’t know it, it’s a town that was wiped off the face of the map by bushfires in Victoria a while back. Hundreds of people died. I was roughly in the area and so I made a point of popping into Marysville to see how they were coping. In general, I find that the people in those towns don’t want hand-outs so much as business. So I try to visit them and spend some cash in their shops, etc.

But it was the people in the bakery cafe that impressed me today. I saw a tin-can for donations on the counter. I wandered up to look at it. I thought it was a good idea to contribute to helping the locals. What impressed me most was that the collections were for flood victims in Queensland and Victoria, not for Marysville at all. Given what a mess they are currently dealing with themselves, that’s seriously impressive and uplifting to see.

2011-04-03