Know body knows how to build and nurture a strong community like country people. Living on large properties miles from their nearest neighbour. In isolated, small communities miles from the nearest shopping strip. Isolation is the country norm. Add natural disasters like crippling drought, flood and fire, relying on each other, no matter the distance or the difficulty is necessary for survival.
Meet Maz Saunders. Country girl most of her life growing up in Broken Hill, married for 34 years with 4 grown up kids and 3 (almost 4) grand kids. Together with Pete, they manage a very large cotton and cropping property near the very tiny outback town of Carinda. Some 600kms north west of Sydney and if you were to draw a line directly across to the east coast, it would end up just south of Coffs Harbour.
In Coronavirus times they are even more isolated, observing social distancing rules. The one local pub is closed and so too the petrol station. Groceries are delivered by the mail man.
But despite all of this, country communities survive and thrive. They may be broken at times, but there's a can do, must do spirit that keeps them together and strong.
We chat with Maz about what makes for a strong community in tough times, in isolation. I couldn't think of anyone better to kick off our 35 part Lunchtime Live - Community Connection Series.
Maz give us her take on what defines a strong community and ways she and others have coped together. She shares useful tips on what to do to build a strong community and drops a surprising challenge to us all.
We host these live 30 minute sessions on the Sequins and Sand Facebook page every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from the 7th of April until the 26th of June. During lockdown. To help you get through. A place to come back to time and time again to ground you in the swirling change.
To learn and chat about the stuff that we find interesting...the stuff that matters:
- Community
- Health
- Motivation & Mindset
- Fitness & Movement
- Natural Beauty
- Style and
- Travel
There are 13 women, each experts in their field. Good women. Really good women who want to reach out and help too.
You will love them all.
If you can't join us at 12pm for each session, then recordings will stay in our Facebook feed and also be posted on the Sequins and Sand You Tube Channel. There is a Lunchtime Lives playlist we've put them all in.
Blog articles like this will also be posted on the Sequins and Sand website adding to each topic as we go along with links to recordings of the live sessions.
We look forward to seeing you pop in!
Below is our wonderful chat with Maz. The first chat of 5. Want to keep in touch with Maz? You'll find her on her Blog = Mazlifestyle and over on insta @mazlifestyle and on facebook @marionsaunders. She's also a Cossie Confidence Crew member and is a big part of our #cossieconfidence message.
Take care girls.
Anita xx
Founder: Sequins and Sand | Cossie Confidence | Shine - the Summer Retreat
