The pandemic suddenly transformed from a nightmare to a very real, shocking, tangible, and frightening reality felt all over the world.

Hospitals inundated to full capacities attempting to save and heal their own, while over half a million patients worldwide have sadly succumbed to horrific, excruciating fatalities thus far. The ripple effect is unimaginable.

The world was and still is in turmoil, now in the midst of a second, gut-wrenching flood presently prominent in our own Victorian state.

I often sit on my veranda, within my farm bubble, listening to the beautiful, poetic sounds of nature. If I wasn’t informed of the severity of our state’s unrest, I honestly wouldn’t know any different.

The school bus still ventures down our long gravel road at precisely 4.15pm each week day, the digger sounding in the distance continues its daily work on our neighbouring farm and the grader is patching up our road’s pot holes as I write.

A very different scenario to the families cooped up in Melbourne high-rise apartments anxiously fretting.

We are so lucky in South Gippsland. We’re in a sparsely populated area and relatively safe compared to densely inhabited city suburbs.

If we unitedly continue to look after ourselves and each other by adhering to the non-travel rules, the social distancing measures, and enhanced hygiene practices, we will be playing our part to prevent the damaging virus from spreading into our precious community.

The advice remains that physical distancing, regular hand washing and refraining from touching your face is the best defence against covid-19.

Let’s individually and collectively stop this unwelcome, devastating virus in its tracks. There is no reason we can’t, and please remember to continue to be kind.