Welcome to 2020!

And so it is 2020..

Welcome to the first Collective blog for 2020. (As a side note, can you believe it is 2020?! Where did the last 20 years go?! Back when we were worrying about Y2K, and as per our recent post, dreaming of flying Jetson’s cars!)

We have quite a few new followers on our social media, so I thought the New Year might be a good time to introduce myself and tell you a little bit more about the Collective. My name is Tanya, and I have been a Psychologist in Dubbo for what feels like a lifetime now (especially when I am realising it is 2020 already!) The Collective first started in 2016 as a small group of women in allied health who were passionate about improving access to services in Dubbo and the West, and making sure rural families could access collaborative multi-disciplinary services in the same way city families could (without all that travel!) Fast forward 4 years and the Collective has evolved in many ways, but still has the same core values at heart. Reflecting back on the last 4 years, I cannot wait to see what 2020 has in store for the Collective..

New years tend to symbolise fresh starts, new goals, new opportunities, and renewed energy to tackle all of the above. If your social media looks anything like mine, it has been filled with people reflecting on their 2019 (as well as their past decade), and setting their goals and resolutions for a fresh start in 2020. It sounds as though 2019 has been a big year for a lot of people! Seeing all of these posts has had us reflecting at the Collective. Like most, there have been plenty of ups and downs, but we are trying to focus on what we can be grateful for as we wrap up the decade.

A lot of people in the country have had a very tough end to 2019, and a very tough start to 2020. Hundreds of people around the country have lost their homes, their properties, and even their lives. Firefighters have spent months battling the most intense bushfire conditions our country has ever seen. Our farmers continue to battle the worst drought conditions ever seen, without an end in sight. It saddens me to see the way these events are leading to stories that focus on blame and accusations. If there was ever a time to band together and show kindness, isn’t it now?

On a much more positive note, it has been amazing to see the way rural communities have been uniting during the drought, and the support being shown by our city friends. Campaigns like #buyfromthebush have brought a smile to many faces. There have been powerful collaborations between a number of rural women that have highlighted the resilience of many despite these relentless conditions. Let’s hope this can continue in 2020 (also – please rain!)

For us at the Collective, 2020 is also signifying a fresh start, and bringing with it loads of enthusiasm and energy. We have some pretty exciting things in store this year, including some fairly major changes to the services and programs we have on offer. We can’t wait to share more.

Until then, Happy New Year. Here’s to a happy, healthy, and productive 2020 (with just a little bit of sparkle).

x Tanya