THE FRONT BOOT
NYMBOIDA RISES
WORDS: JULIE MARTYN
On November 8 2019, a massive fire hit the
sleepy hamlet of Nymboida, about 30km
south-west of Grafton, NSW. Now, it is rising
from the ashes, ringed by blackened tree
trunks on the surrounding mountainsides.
The community-based campground still
shows traces of the tragedy but it is back up
and running, with powered sites and spots by
the creek. Nymboida’s couple of streets are testimony to
the fickleness of fire. It flattened one house,
with the next fairly untouched. A shed was
gone but not the house. Yet a few kilometres
away, on the Armidale road, some cattle were
left on green, open pasture.
On February 2 2020, the last concert in the
Festival of Small Halls was run there.
Considering that so many in the community
had lost their homes, this was quite an
achievement. The mercury rose past 36 degrees that
February day, but some welcome relief was
hoped for as storm clouds rolled in, yet only
moist little kisses from heaven drifted down.
Maybe next week?
The Red Cross provided a fundraising lunch,
while the crowd was entertained by a local
harp-maker and his son.
The concert proper then began inside the hall
with Australian musician Jack Carty and UK
entertainer Siobhan Miller. In front of a
painted rising phoenix, they sang gentle
messages of hope amid adversity. This year,
more than ever, the area needs some support.
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NYMBOIDA QUICK
CONTACTS
Nymboida Camping and Canoeing:
(02) 6649 4155
Bush cooking festival in August:
clarencevalleycampovenfestival.com
BlazeAid: blazeaid.com.au