A heart and soul? I think so

October 7th, 2009

I’m not a poet or all that clever with words but in response to Peter Chapman who recently implied that Hervey Bay was somewhat lacking in the heart and soul department, I can’t resist responding…

Hervey Bay has a strongly beating heart and a warm and wondrous soul. Our heart is not hard to find. You find it in all the people who pick up the litter on the beaches and roadsides without being asked, that lend a hand to a neighbour or friend in need, that smile and let you go in front of them at the supermarket when you only have two things to buy. You hear our heart beating in the people that know your dogs name (not yours) and say g’day each and every morning as you stroll along the beach or walkway, that grab the mail and papers from your yard when you go away, that send you the jokey emails cause they care enough to share a laugh with you, that volunteer at the library, gallery, meals and wheels and every where else there is a need just to help out and keep active, and that smile rather than frown and greet newcomers with a warm welcome and a ‘so where are you from mate?’ Our heart is beating in the Queenslanders from here and from afar that shake their heads but smile when we ex Southerners, prattle on about daylight saving and that game we love called aerial ping pong. Hervey Bay’s heart is found in all these people.

Ah but to our soul. Our soul is found in the clear blue skies and sunny warm days, the beautiful blue ocean where fishes and coral abound, the green foreshore and bountiful parklands full of tall trees and native wildlife, the big sandy island known as Fraser and the adjoining wetlands known as the Great Sandy Strait. We see our soul reflected in the rivers that wind their way slowly through our rural hinterland and the beaches where we walk and play.

Our souls soar when we realise just how lucky we are to live in such a place as Hervey Bay. We come here because of its beauty, its wonderful climate it’s relaxed and laid back lifestyle and its community of people that come from everywhere and anywhere. Not for us the tall towers of steel, glass and concrete. Not for us the noisy traffic choked smelly streets of ‘the big smoke’. Not for us the impersonal hustle and bustle of city life. We treasure a low rise city where our children can run free and where us more elderly folk, can see out our days peacefully.

So Peter, we invite you to join with us in protecting and preserving our beautiful Bay. Hervey Bay is a very special place. We cherish it and try very, very hard to care for it. We don’t want it spoiled ‘by progress’. I am sure that you will find our heart does not beat within our buildings but it beats ever so steadily and strongly within our people and you will find that our soul is everywhere around us. Our soul is found in the warm clear air we breathe, the blue waters in which we play and the green lands on which we live. Welcome.

2 Responses to “A heart and soul? I think so”

  1. Sadmanon 07 Oct 2009 at 11:31 pm

    Sue,

    I should sue you. By the time I had finnished reading your post
    I was into my second box of Kleenex. Even my dog was howling.

    Sadman

  2. Judith & Alan Genschon 07 Mar 2012 at 3:54 pm

    Hi Sue,
    Hervey Bay is very fortunate to have someone like yourself in a position to raise and discuss issues. Keep it up for goodness sake, as you speak knowledgably and honestly, and the more I read of what you have to say, the more admiration I have for you. All the very best in the forthcoming election. We need you.
    Judy

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