Gone West for Work
Posted by TravellingStrom on March 7, 2011
Currently I am in Emerald, about 3 hours drive west and will be here for a week or so, unsure exactly.
I just returned from up north in cyclone territory. This was voluntary with the SES and we flew to Cairns and then drove south to Cardwell, Tully and Mission Beach each day in the rain, around four hours round trip. We we bunked near Innisfail.
We managed to do quite a lot of emergency repairs, and also repaired the bad relations with the general public after the NSW crew went home leaving dissatisfied people behind.
I have found out how to post photos so here is a small selection. This first one shows the rainforest after the wind blew all the leaves away, don’t despair though, new shoots have already appeared 1 month on.
The next few show some of the damage to houses, the tiled roof must not have had any clips on it and we were tasked to fix the metal roof on the house across the street, a tile had tore a hole though it! There is one condemned house which has only two walls left, but still has the loungeroom suite in place.
All that is nearly over now for us volleys as the commercial repairers and insurance people are taking over. There may be a few small groups go back up in a few weeks but I am unsure whether I can afford more time off.
While there is work on I need to save as much as I can, if I want to start the next leg of my travels next year at a suitable time before the end of the world. And with all these major floods, cyclones, earthquakes etc it sure looks like it is possible
Cheers till next time
TravellingStrom
TravellingStrom 
Donunder said
Good to hear you’re back safely from up north TS. You must have seen things you won’t forget in a hurry. The rest of us had a play down in Bright while you were working. Pretty spot, great trip through the high country. Dropped in to see Dale at Swansea and my Camos is finally working. Hope you weren’t planning on a Japan trip next. Poor buggers – what a mess! Take it easy for a bit. You’ve been on the go for a while now. Time to recharge your batteries.
Bob said
Rich, you are a hero to some and a zero to none. It is the work of people like yourself that mean the most to those who need it. Your blogging brings your passion for the plight of others to those who know you in person and have grown to know you through these posts.
It is a pity the government doesn’t give some tax break or an honorarium to cover some of your losses while volunteering. Keep at it, keep posting, and let us know what your new itinerary is.
ça roule
Bob
TravellingStrom said
Thanks Bob
I enjoy the volunteer work, but in the end to keep travelling I need the mighty dollar dollar dollar 🙂 So, I will be concentrating on doing paid for work over the next 12 months
Cheers Richard