I doff my cap, I lift my lid, I tug at my disappearing forelock, and in every other way I can conceive of saluting, I salute the people of Lorne. Our tradies, our essential services, and in some wild and woolly weather, our SES. Our Ambos, Jonathon and his careful policing, and those at up at Parks who care for our hinterland… thank you, all – for you are a truly amazing bunch!
But, just as much – maybe even more – I salute our amazing, resilient, roll-with-every-punch restaurateurs, shop owners, and businesses. For again, for the umpteenth time, you have re-booted, re-stocked, re-staffed, and renewed yourselves [and us] – and all in the blink of an eye.
At Ipsos, waiters Jasper, Kobi, and Clem [on ‘loan’ from à la Grecque] have returned, Jasper from learning the trade of a personal trainer, Clem from the calm out back of the Fairhaven break, Kobi from reading ‘The Slap’, to help Dom and his amazing platoon of chefs out the back in the kitchen – especially Skye and Marie-of-the-Marsh – to ‘fire up’ with a… ‘lockdown? … what lockdown?’ attitude. How can my favourite lunchtime calamari on the coast be perfect on the very day a 14-day ‘stay home’ was lifted – yet it was! To all… our thanks!
At Lorne Central, how can ‘mine host’, the inimitable Bryce Newcomb, be as affable, as impossibly welcoming, and as cheerful with his dismissive shrug: ‘what? – did something just happen?’… when the management rug has been pulled, again and again, from under his feet, too. To Bryce and his team … our thanks!
To Paul, who has [on the surface] serenely run an incredibly complex, mixed hotel business – accommodation, bar, pub meals, fine dining… the kit-and-caboodle… and who has had to lay off, then conjure front of house, bar, kitchen, service, and cleaning staff at the snap of 150km distant political fingers… our thanks!
The same goes for Sammy, Angelo, Miguel and the team at The Pier; Graeme, Gillian, and Albert at Qdos; the team at Umisango, Jo and Tess at the Riverbank Café… indeed all the eateries and outlets that make this town great… our thanks!
How does Dee Stewart still pop out her cards and open her doors, on time? How does Jodie at Gazman next door roll out her shirts and vests as if Day #1 post Lockdown was ‘just any other day’? How does Rhyan at BoM, manage to roll up their white roller-blind and do burgers and coffee like it was any other day? Yet these but a handful of the never-say-die amazing people and businesses that make up this equally amazing town. From all of us … our thanks!
To Katie and Leon at HaH [the walkers’ Walkers], to Jorge and his team at the Swing Bridge, and to Hutch and Jason at the Anglers who, like all the rest, have each given us their best impression of a set of human bellows – opening and closing at the whim of Spring Street – to breath coffee and conversations into our lives… our thanks!
To Lior and his trio of food outlets: Chopstix, Captain Hooked, and the silvered bullet at Pit Stop… indeed, to all the businesses, whether retail, café, or hospitality, that grace our eclectic Mountjoy strip – on go your lights, out go your clothing and book racks, despite the pain and dislocation you all must be feeling. But, to see you all there, come what may, immeasurably brightens our day… so, our thanks.
To those who have ‘pushed on’ without choice through this grim 5th shut-down period… to the servo, the Supermarché, the classroom-or-home teachers at the school, GOR Health, the PO, the bank, and the pharmacy – where Randall and his ever-cheerful team beaver away for us, day in, day out – or to Paul and Maxine who [literally] keep our wheels turning, and perhaps above all, to my new BFF, Rob at Cellarbrations, who has supported those like me who have resorted to wine to negotiate their ‘isolations’… you are all my [our] godsends. And, to all the others I cannot list, who have buoyed us through yet another grim period… our thanks!
To all our locals: mums, dads, kids, retirees, and others; to all those from out of town who love Lorne with just as much passion as do those who live here and have either chosen to share LD’s #1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 with us, or have returned as soon as they could to revive our streets and businesses; to all who have stayed the course, masked up, QR coded, stopped for a chat on the beach or in the supermarket queue, and who have taken your shot[s] for the health, well-being, and safety of us all… our thanks!
These are times when ‘community’ means everything. When a smile means so much [despite that the mouth and nose are hidden, the eyes still smile]! When friendly banter with Renée, Catherine, and the crew at the checkout can be the sum total of one’s daily human contact. When a wave from a passing car, a word of recognition, or the pleasure of brief conversation when passing on the beach offer shared respite and bring light to an otherwise dreary afternoon. Or, when a young local girl [embarrassingly, I didn’t recall nor check her name] took time out from her day to return my runaway, deaf, and frightened 15 y/o Rosie – who can’t hear me when I call her if she gets out of my sight, yet whose legs still retain more run than mine. Recognising Rosie, knowing she was mine, and knowing I would be frantic, she cuddled Rosie and sought me out… so to her, my very personal thanks!
These are the human moments that build a community. Long gone – thankfully – is the silly rancour of ‘entitlement’ that marred the social media pages in the earlier days of pandemic. Perhaps we have come to know that we are all in this for the long-haul, that we all are hurting in one way or another, and that we have all collectively resolved to be each other’s keeper. For that clear and maturing change… our thanks!
Perhaps only one main hurdle remains: to reassure those who may still fear the vaccines or question their intent. To reassure that we who have had our doses did not fall ill, did not suffer dire side effects or symptoms, and feel simple relief that we are now largely protected from major illness – or worse. To encourage those yet to be inoculated to book in and get your shot[s] – of either ilk. To make this act your seminal contribution to this community we all love so deeply. Doing that will earn you the greatest thank you of them all
John Agar
