By Dominique Tassell
Locals living in the border zone have spoken out about the mental impacts current restrictions are having on them.
Marissa Costello made a viral Facebook post about the situation, causing others to speak out.
She stated her two children, aged 12 and 13, haven’t seen their friends outside of the classroom in 10 weeks.
She says 30 kids couldn’t get to school during the hard border closure, and now she fears this has created a divide in the students.
Marissa was able to cross the border to get vaccinated, and has gotten both doses.
“Just to come to work we have to get vaccinated,” she says.
“You’re not going to catch (Covid-19) from us.”
She says the focus has been on Tweed and how they’ve been affected by the border closure, while more rural areas are largely ignored.
She believes that coverage of issues like boarding students being unable to go home last year has affected how the state government prioritised them.
Marissa says the border situation is causing a divide in the community.
“It’s wearing on people’s mental health.”
She says there are locals who won’t come into the Killarney Co-op because they don’t want to be harassed by other locals asking them why they’re there.
There is no grocery store in localities like Legume.
Marissa stated she’s unsure how she’s going to do her Christmas shopping.
Legume doesn’t have a Kmart.
“We had a bit of a look and the closest (town we can travel to) is Lismore.”
Marissa would feel safer being able to drive into Warwick.
She criticised the local government for not speaking up for locals.
She says the mayor has been notably silent.
Marissa says actions like the SDRC library sending out an email informing locals in the border bubble that they couldn’t access the library added insult to injury.
She says locals knew about the restrictions already and the email left them feeling othered.
She says even though the email was polite, “it is all about how it is received by people who are already well aware of the conditions of their border pass and what their lives have become”.
To further complicate things, locals affected by the border bubble were told not to return any books they had online but now face issues as a result.
Marissa says her mum is now overdue with her returns so is unable to borrow.
While she’s unable to borrow because of the border, Marissa says it‘s the principle of it.
Southern Downs MP, James Lister, commented on the post stating that he had been doing his best to fight for his constituents.
“I’ve raised the matter many times in parliament and written to the Premier and Chief Health Officer many times too,” he said.
He stated his staff have successfully gotten “over 100” exemptions for locals and he’d encourage people to call his office for help.
Traecy Bartz has also spoken out about the border situation, stating it is unfair to locals.
She stated that not all border communities are the same, and the local communities in our region are more entwined than others.
Her husband was born in Killarney and together they have been part of the community for over 25 years.
“There are many small rural communities along the border in the same boat – we don’t have access to services like they do at Tweed.”
Traecy said their family, friends, social connections, down time and “at the moment our sanity” is in Queensland.
“I have been humiliated, made to feel unworthy and treated as if I’m diseased over the past couple of months as a result,” she said.
“It may not sound very serious to be limited but when it makes you angry and sad it’s serious.
“Our mental health is suffering.”
Margaret Grayson said “mental health is a real issue throughout this isolating of border residents”.
She spoke of how her doctor had told her to write down all the things she was planning and looking forward to doing once the border opened.
That date was two weeks ago.
Her list included things as simple as seeing her sons; one is coming to Stanthorpe but Margaret is unable to see him.
“What do I tell my doctor,” she asked.
“Sorry life is on hold?”
“The worst thing about being treated like you don’t belong in your community is the feeling of anxiety when you do cross the border,” she said.
She said it feels as though someone is waiting for you to do something they think is wrong.
The requirement for mask wearing also leaves border residents feeling othered.
“People look at you as if you shouldn’t be there.”
A common line of thought amongst border residents is that they’re living in areas with zero cases and have had to get vaccinated to go about their lives so feel they present no real threat to the community.
Many say that while they know others are doing it tough, and maybe even tougher, they feel they still need help.
They’ve questioned why they cannot go back to restrictions similar to those in place last year, when they could still move freely within their local communities.
A Government spokesperson stated that “rural towns on our border have done an incredible job – following the health directions and making sacrifices to keep us all safe”.
They acknowledge the huge impact the pandemic has had on our community and our economy, and said that vaccinations are the key to ending it.
The stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. Recent statistics show our region is in the top five regions in the state for vaccination.
The spokesperson stated that ‘the Queensland Government has invested millions of dollars to support struggling businesses on the border – including more funding for mental health services”.
“We’ll continue to provide as much help as possible to people in border communities.”
They stated that the Premier has recently been to border towns like Stanthorpe and encourages all Queenslanders to do the same.
The state government has provided $700,000 in funding for additional mental health support for business owners and their families affected by the border closure, however this is obviously not available to everyone.
