Tsunami - ten years on...

It is sometimes hard to believe that it is ten years since the Boxing Day Tsunami. There has been a lot on tv the last few days.

And also on the 40th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy which wiped out Darwin on Christmas Eve in 1974. I was at the farm in the Mallee - we didnt have a tv (and even if we had it would have been in black and white!!) and so I hadnt really seen many images. But Christmas Eve had a programme on the terribel destruction, the deaths and injuries, and then the massive emergancy airlift where 30,000 people (mostly women and children - the men stayed behind to clean up) were flown out to capital cities all around the country.
Here is a wiki link for Cyclone Tracy, that should give you enough information if you didnt know about it (too young? Too far away?)

The images are so very redolent of what we saw when we arrived in Banda Aceh post tsunami. We went in early February, six weeks after the disaster, but there was still so much devastation. Lots of bodies, both animals and people, piles of rubble metres high, smoking burnign rubbish/buildings. It was hell. We went there to establish an orphange but it was a bit pointless as there so very few orphans - most children couldnt swim even if they ahd been able to fight against the water. Which was 30 metres high when it hit Banda Aceh.

Here are my photos. It is still difficult to look at them. I thinkI have PTSD. We didnt get very well looked after at the end, just sent home, no debrief - that would have helped. I am still friends with Sue Bastone via Facebook which helps.

I still havent figured out how to edit out the yucky background and change the font (I know it will be simple...).
My dear friend Alex Legg was diagnosed with cancer last month, he went straight into Peter Mac, came out for a gig, went back in for a few days, and died on Decemebr 3. We shared a birthday (tho he was a year older) and lots of memories. He was a wonderful singer and songwriter - check him out, he spent the last few months uploadign so many of his songs.

Lentil As Anything had a lovely post. S4 posted that no matter which festival he ran into Alex, or at Lentil, or a gig somewhere, Alex always remembered his name (and he knew S4 from a young teenager to a grown man heading to 30 who travelled the world a lot) and talked to him. He always made people feel special. He was a good man.


And before Alex's news I had the One Hundred Day Cough.
Again.
I think it has been closer to 200 days for me this year. Another round of antibiotics, more asthma puffer thing (never had asthma before this), olive leaf extract, homeopathic pillules (is that right - littler than pills :), even Drambuie and icecream one night. Oh, alright - TWO nights. That was a good thing for a sore throat.

The grandboy, the eldest grandboy (by 12 hours), the one who was very very prem 2 years ago just had his birthday. So did the other one, but I went to Arthur's party, not to Hobart. He is little - he had a bit of a slow start, but he is very funny. He sees the funny side in everything, and laughs, and makes others laugh. He is a happy little bloke. I had a lovely time with him.

He is wearing Daddy's shirt (with appropriate motif, I reckon!)