Jodi Webb

I haven’t been on RB for a while, but I’ve just been reading everyone’s comments on the “Black Saturday” bushfires here in Victoria, and the outpouring of peoples grief, empathy and emotional meanderings have me touched to the very depth of my soul.

I was in Brisbane when it all happened, but returned to Melbourne on Monday afternoon. I flew over some of the affected areas, and the smoke was too thick for anything to be seen on the ground. But being back, being in the city and talking to people has made me realise that when something of this magnitude happens, people are so generous, caring and genuinely concerned about people they don’t know.

I don’t sell any work on here, so it’s not really appropriate for me to say that I will donate any proceeds, but I wouldn’t feel like that was enough anyway. Donating clothing, food, toiletries and any other goods to the cause is just a start. These people are going to need so much more than we can give them.

My heart is breaking that a disaster like this can occur, leaving the huge loss of life that it has – not only the human life, but the tens of thousands of animals which have also died. The people who have lost loved ones or their homes, my thoughts and prayers are with you.