Why we must stay connected in the face of a natural disaster

Susan and Kevin’s story.

Dreaming of a relaxed country lifestyle and the opportunity to open their own restaurant, Susan Plath and Kevin Lamont moved from Melbourne to the small tourist town of Bright in 2018.

By mid 2019, they had opened their restaurant, The Chicken Shop - Bright, and were looking forward to the summer tourist season that would give their business the kick-start it needed to survive in a tourist-town.

However, on January 3, 2020, the bushfires had encroached on Bright and the tourists were all required to leave town less than a week after they had arrived.

“At that point we knew the summer trade we had been looking forward to was not going to happen. We had invested almost everything into the business, so the whole situation was devastating on a number of levels,” said Susan.

While spending 11 days sheltering in the local Army barracks, Susan and Kevin brainstormed how they might be able to recoup some losses and gain an income with the loss of the tourist season.

“We had just started selling our own ‘Alpine Sauce Co.’ Memphis Style BBQ Sauce from the restaurant in December, and after the fires had cleared we decided to set-up an online store to try and sell a few bottles and make some kind of income.”

“We had to throw out over $20,000 in stock from our cold room when we got back. We had a lot of bills to pay and it seemed like there was no easy solution.”

Luckily for Susan and Kevin, things started to turn around when they received a message from Empty Esky, a movement that encourages Australians to spend time and money in small towns and regional communities.

“They saw my post online and asked me if I’d like to share our story with the hope to sell 100 bottles of sauce. I didn’t think much of it at first, but the day ended with over 500 bottles sold, and we’d never shipped a bottle of sauce in our life!”

“We haven’t had stability in our lives for a long time now and with COVID-19 coming into the mix, it definitely starts to wear you down. Having good friends and family who are capable of accepting your full range of emotions is something we will always appreciate - the ones who don’t push you away when you need to talk about the heavy stuff.”

Hope, support from friends and family, those who supported their business, and their daughter who thinks life is one big adventure, are some of the things that have helped Susan and Kevin get through what might be one of the toughest years of their lives.

“Sometimes the adventure of life gets a bit too wild, and isn’t much fun at all, but you have to remind yourself daily that it’s not forever. If you can roll with the hard stuff, you’ll come out the other side saying, ‘we got through it!’, and we really look forward to that day.”

Susan believes that simply being a good listener and checking in with those who might be struggling can make a world of difference.

“Even if you can’t fully relate to what someone is going through, I would suggest just offering a good listening ear because there are no easy solutions to what many are currently going through. If you know someone struggling or going through some big changes, check in often and ask, ‘Are you OK?’”

“I would also suggest being kind on social media. Businesses and families are doing it really tough and we’ve unfortunately experienced a bit of mocking recently for our restaurant not being open yet. It was really upsetting and humiliating to see it. If you’re tempted to give a business or person an unkind comment, think about how your action will impact the people behind that business. Be kind and be supportive, because we’re all in this together.”

The new R U OK? Mateship Manual will help you navigate a conversation with someone who has experienced a natural disaster or emergency. Free to download here (www.ruok.org.au/natural-disaster-and-emergency-mateship-manual).

For practical advice on ways to start a conversation with someone you care about visit: www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask

For crisis support call Lifeline on 13 11 14. If you or someone you care for is feeling overwhelmed, visit ruok.org.au/findhelp for support services and self-care tools.