Canberra: We’ve Got This!
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“Not a day goes by at the moment where the word ‘unprecedented’ isn’t used in the media. Unprecedented they say? We Canberrans eat ‘unprecedented’ for breakfast!”
When I first moved to Canberra, the Raiders won back to back premierships, I could buy green milk, John Farnham’s ‘Playing to Win’ would be thumping through the speakers at The Palace when the Cannons scored, Pandora’s did not sell charm bracelets, and Palmerston was a new frontier.
What struck me most about my newly adopted town was that Canberrans were as loyal as the day is long and against such resistance, as I soon experienced first-hand, being always on the receiving end of slights from interstate neighbours.
I was bombarded with comments such as “Eww, you live in Caaan-ber-rah with all the pollies”—to which I would tirelessly reply—“Yes, I live in Canberra, but your elected representative doesn’t live here they only work here occasionally.” (For the record, this is not quite accurate. What I actually said wouldn’t make it past the editor.)
Hubby and I have lived in Canberra for over 30 years—except for that one year we lived in Ireland and tried to become rockstars, but I digress. We met in The Can, married in Berra, bred three Canberrans, our first business was established in the ACT and employed many locals. Over those years we travelled extensively but always returned home feeling like the luckiest people on Earth.
We Canberrans have done some awesome things. Off the top of my head I note Chief Ministers who’ve taken on rescues from helicopters, tackled mansplaining in a Federal Senate committee, and who have led us to be the highest state or territory “Yes” response in the same-sex marriage survey.
We have radio-stations that rally the troops and help individuals, families, groups in need. They can whip up a sausage sizzle, bake sale, truck convoy or big fat cheque before most of us have had our morning coffee.
We have the best coffee roasters, bacon makers, beer brewers, gin distillers, egg producers, bread bakers—and the list goes on.
We have been listed time and time again, as one of the most liveable cities in the world—yep, the whole world!
We have been tested with the fires in 2003 and 2020, and we have just spent a big part of our summer being one of the most air-polluted cities on the planet—and we rallied and we prevailed.
Right now, we are being challenged again. Not in a footy Grand Final, and not by the OECD rankings, but for the content of our character.
Tested to see if we really crack up to be the most tolerant, patient, supportive, kind, understanding, generous, resilient community in a world locked down by COVID-19.
Not a day goes by at the moment where the word ‘unprecedented’ isn’t used in the media. Unprecedented they say? We Canberrans eat ‘unprecedented’ for breakfast!
When the lines are longer and moving slower, we will be thankful we live in a city where we have the time to wait at shops that are close to our homes.
When what we want isn’t available, we will be grateful there is another shop nearby. When we go for a walk around our neighbourhood, we will feel blessed for what is outside our own homes.
We will become true Stoics and want what we have—Canberra, we’ve got this!
So, let’s take our competitive urges denied through the suspension of the footy season and channel them to take on the new state of origin competition—the 2020 Community of Champions.
Wouldn’t it be nice a year from now when my interstate friends call, they say—“You still living in Canberra?…Lucky you!”
Feature image: Martin Ollman
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