This week our beloved Peregian Beach, which is home-sweet-home and the studio locations for our Boom Shankar design team, was touched by a dangerously close encounter with great loss and devastation.
If you have ever visited Peregian Beach you will be familiar with the friendly vibes and easy-going pace, not to mention the cosmopolitan village and community atmosphere. Nestled in nature, Peregian Beach has the lucky temptation of stunning eastern beaches on one side and the wild beauty of native fauna and wilderness on the west.
Sadly, catastrophic conditions fueled the greatest threat and as the wild beauty on the west side flamed with fury our Peregian Beach community was evacuated immediately. A long convoy of locals headed north to safer grounds with only enough time to gather loved-ones, pets and a few essential possessions. Not knowing much about the dangers but with self-preservation comes an overwhelming sense of urgency to flee.
After two days and nights of uncertainty was emotional release. On permission we return to discover that Peregian Beach was spared by the incredible human effort of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES). The magnitude of the situation has humbled our hearts and reaching out to neighbours has softened our guards to remind us that in the event of crisis, human nature wants to reach out, connect and care for each other with a greater sense of community spirit. This has been a powerful comfort.
Evacuating at the drop of a hat has been a valuable lesson about what truly matters to heart and also a great reminder of the beautiful family, friends & community surrounding us. But if it was not for the heroic exertion of the QFES our beloved village may have been flattened to ashes. The great loss & suffering of beautiful creatures in the wild is unbearable to imagine. Nature will spring back and life will go on. Our community has been deeply touched by the honesty of nature & humans during this difficult time. We will be forever grateful to the response, protect and recovery teams.
Stay safe. Be humble. Big love.
In the meantime, there is the overwhelming task to recover and rehabilitate injured wildlife left.
To help save injured wildlife please contact any of the following animal care centres:
Animal Emergency Centre: https://www.aecvets.com.au/locations/noosa/
28 Eenie Creek Road, Noosaville
Wilvos 5441 6200
Edmundi Wildlife Centre 5442 8057
Wildlife Rescue Sunshine Coast 0415 839 554 or 0432 310 556
Wildlife Emergency 1300 264 625
The Rescue Collective: https://therescuecollective.com
Stay safe:
Have a plan:
https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/planning/Pages/default.aspx
Become an QFES volunteer:
https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/employment/category/community-volunteers.html
