Artist Sue Hodge (left of artwork) at the presentation of the painting Relisilence to the Eugowra CWA ladies.
In 2022 during the terrible floods that impacted Canowindra, but more devastatingly affected Eugowra, artist Sue Hodge had the opportunity to create a very special painting.
Sue was involved in cleaning out a friend’s residence in Gaskill Street that had been completely flooded. Among the many personal belongings, that had been through the flood waters and covered with silt and mud, was a blank canvas. The canvas was destined for the Council pick up pile but instead of discarding it, Sue salvaged the canvas and painted it with some reeds bending in the wind and water.
The title of the piece is Resilience and the message behind the painting was that when people in the country go through disasters like the floods “resilience” is a character trait that stands out and shines.
The people of Eugowra showed resilience, courage and kindness in the weeks and months after the floods. Last Friday, Sue gifted this painting to the CWA ladies of Eugowra. The message is still very relevant, but they also said that it was the banding together that has enabled them to still face the challenges of disaster recovery.
It would seem a single reed in a flowing river certainly does not have the same strength as when they stand together as one. And even if they all bend together, they do not break. If we can continue to do this, help your neighbour when times are hard, share the grief when experiences are sad, the load does get lighter and we can as communities weather the storms.