“Flood Exhibition”: home at last in Lismore.

My own family is featured in four powerful photographs at the “Through The Heart” exhibition, which opened last night at the Lismore Regional Gallery.

These aren’t just “disaster snapshots” of inundated buildings and people seeking rescue; they’re profound survival photographs captured by the incredible Jacklyn Wagner in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 Lismore flood.

What makes them so impactful is how they portray people navigating the immense damage to their homes, not as victims, but as testaments to human spirit.

Jacklyn has done a phenomenal job, truly capturing the sheer spirit, warmth, and strength of the Lismore community, especially in the South and North.

The photos of Jack, Sam, Karran, Shyloh, Willow, Xavier, Ryan, and Tash are simply breathtaking, showcasing a resilience that words can barely convey.

While I’ve blogged about previous exhibitions of these works, including their display at the NSW Parliament, there truly hasn’t been a suitable space in Lismore until now. The Lismore Regional Gallery itself was badly damaged in the flood, making its recent re-opening and the hosting of this exhibition all the more significant. These photographs are finally home, right here in Lismore, where their impact can be fully felt.

You really can’t get the full impact from a picture of a picture at a busy opening, so I urge you: please go see these magnificent works in person. The exhibition, “Through the Heart … a flood of fears and tears,” is a powerful testament to our community’s journey.

The opening night speeches from Jacklyn Wagner and Vicki Youngberry were incredibly moving, and the turnout was a clear indicator of how much this exhibition means to so many.

#ProudSouthie

Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the strength and beauty of Lismore, as seen “Through The Heart.”

Sunday Post Script – Radio

On Sunday morning, Jacklyn and Vickie were on ABC Radio’s Australia All Over which was broadcasting from Lismore.

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)

I’m at ABC North Coast, we’re up the hill. It’s sort of stopped raining, I thought it was going to rain, but it’s overcast and a big fog this morning. I want to talk to this lady here. It’s Jocelyn.

Jacqueline. Jacqueline, how are you, Jacqueline? I’m well, how are you? Yeah, good. You’ve got an exhibition at the moment somewhere at the museum, is it? No, it’s at the Lismore Regional Gallery.

It’s a 100-image exhibition that I took of people post-flood between the 4th and the 16th week as they were reconnecting with their homes. Is that your deal? You’re a photographer? I am. Or is it your side hustle? No, no, no.

I’ve actually been a photographer here. I was with the newspaper for 20 years, and I love photojournalism. And it’s an important document.

I’ll say. And, yeah, don’t I love the old black and whites? We all love the old black and whites. The gallery got flooded, didn’t it? It did, it did.

This time or last time? 22. We’re talking about 22. It got trashed.

And it’s actually only come back to life in the last couple of months. So it’s a big thing for Lismore, yep. So how long is your exhibition on for? Okay, it’s there until the 10th of August.

And how many photos? 100 images. And are these all digital or do you get them? No, no, no. They’re beautifully mounted and framed.

And the exhibition has actually appeared twice at New South Wales Parliament House as well. So it’s had quite a journey. Yeah, I’ll say, I’ll say.

Is it going to travel or is it just here? Well, at the moment it’s, as Vicky said last night at the opening. This is Vicky. Hello, Vicky.

Sorry. How are you? I’m, yeah, considering. I’m okay, yeah.

Me too. Me too. I’m actually one of the subjects of the photos.

I’m hanging on the wall at the Lismore Gallery with my husband. It’s a nice place to be, yeah. Yeah.

Anyway, so the big thing now is that it’s actually home. It hasn’t been seen in Lismore because we had nowhere for it to be seen. And I’m in the process now with the help of Janelle Saffon, the Mayor, various other people are finding somewhere to store it so it can be historically shown in 20, 40, 50 years and those stories can be followed up.

It’s really beautiful. Even if I say so myself. No, no.

They are truly amazing. It’s amazing. It’s a moment in time.

It’s been captured perfectly by Jacqueline and we’re history and there’s nothing that we can’t change that. But these images are here for our generations to see. They’ll always be here.

When you travel, I’ve just been travelling up the coast through Taree and Kempsey and places like that and still there’s plenty of images around the place, isn’t there, to see and the stories you hear that people tell you about what’s going on and what’s been and the water. Jacqueline’s just showing me some of the photos. It’s a pity it’s radio.

But people can go and see this, can’t they, Jacqueline? Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And I went back yesterday and actually with the photographs there are quotes from the people which when I spoke to them and they’re the most moving, beautiful quotes. And some of them are funny.

Some of them are positive, the joy of things that they found, that they thought they’d lost. And there was so much engagement with people who were actually reading them all yesterday. And we’re having a morning tea this morning, actually.

I’ll be there. What time? After this cake. Have you got cake? We’ve got cake.

We’ve got cake. So between 10 and 12 at the Gallery. And it’s a really quiet morning tea where people can come.

And that would be wonderful. I’ll see how I go. Oh, that would be wonderful.

Jacqueline Wagner, nice to talk to you. It’s really lovely. And Vicki Youngbury.

Thank you. Thank you.

And because I was standing closeby, Macca walked up to me for a bit of a chat. I’ve known Ian since 1990, and we chat in the office fairly regularly, so it was a pleasure to appear briefly with some thoughts and an anecdote.

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)

Yeah, there’s James O’Brien from the ABC. What are you doing here, James? Just hold on. What are you doing here, James? Just home seeing the family.

Ah, right. You better tell us a Lismore story. What’s a good Lismore story? Oh, they’re all… I’m trying to think of a good one that’s not a disaster.

Oh, the biggest thing is In 1954 the Queen came to Lismore and she’s blamed for the 54 flood. Did you know that? No, I didn’t. Why? Because apparently it started raining when she arrived and there were thousands of people all over the place and now my friend Richard, his uncle and aunt owned a pub where she stayed and Richard has cushions, royal cushions left over from that day.

Oh, really? Still now, yeah. He’s going to give them to the museum or something like that but that’s a good Lismore story, isn’t it, I think? You’re a Lismore boy and you know the place pretty well. Recovery’s still ongoing, isn’t it? I mean, I know that that’s happening in Lismore and it’s taking a while and then I feel for Taree and Kempsey and Environs, you know, everything’s been smashed up this coast, hasn’t it? And they’ll take a while.

Yeah, look, it’s you know, I mean, when it happened, I was in Sydney and I was home two days after the flood and I was talking to my sister on the phone all that night and I thought, my God, this could be the last conversation we have because she’s very old and thank God it wasn’t. She was rescued along with her husband who’s about six years older and her grandson who was about 18 at the time and they, anyway, we had water up to the, almost to the roof of the two-story house. I arrived in Lismore, like, there was just junk everywhere.

It was unbelievable and look, if you look around, go for a drive around the block now, it’s pretty good compared to what it was, let me tell you, two years ago or even three years ago. Still some way to go but it’s good. There’s a new, the gallery has reopened, the library has reopened, you know, there’s signs of life which is great.

The human spirit is resolute, isn’t it? And it has to be. I mean, that’s what life’s about. We get knocked down and we get back up and start all over again.

And look, lots of great restaurants around town now, lots of new coffee shops have opened which has been good. The theatre scene is up and again, up and running again so, you know, there are signs of life which is awesome. Good to see you, James.

Thank you.

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)