Day 62 and 63 - Bingara Bliss

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Bingara NSW - 0 km

The moment we meet Bev and Chris we instantly know we have been welcomed into a home where the saying "mi casa es su casa" (it's even more beautiful when Chris says it in Arabic) is meant in every sense of the word. Even Greyhound Billy lifts his eyebrow and sighs in agreement. 
Louise makes herself at home in the kitchen

The last two days have been real 'substance over image' material. I joked over dinner that if we were to stay another day, we would be moving in! It's such a gift when you get to meet people whose idea of 'caring is sharing' (or is it the other way around?) is so uncompromisingly the same to your own. And all differences in age or heritage become invisible. We step into a circle of kindness that is as contagious as the new Omicron variant. This scenario is even more special because it was made possible by dear Sarah J and her family back home, who was, in some ways both fearless and confident, to bring us together. She promised that we would get along "like a house on fire" and we did. 

Bingara is a little town of 1800 people and it promotes itself as the gem of the Gwydir Shire. It is charming and delivers the feeling that good things can happen here. A good community, a good life, a good pie shop and a great Op shop! The latter is run, managed and driven by Bev and Chris, as a community project, where everyone is welcome and is invited to play their part. The shop is undergoing a massive 'purge' over the weekend and it's all hands on deck. Naturally and infected by their kindness, we are eager to chip in and spend a few hours in the heart of operation 'Op shop purge'. The place is buzzing. We meet people from all walks of life, all committed to the same cause - the well-being of their community. There are people painting, folding, sorting, boxing, packing, arranging and re-arranging. We feel as if we are on a "behind the scenes" tour of a famous TV show. I have never been inside an ants nest but this could be a human version of it. Everyone is busy doing something, it is a constant current of lifting, shifting, moving and pushing on. My position behind the ironing board is the most idle in the place! They work tirelessly towards the big opening in the busy pre-Easter week. When we leave after a few hours, the volunteers continue to roll on. Next time I step into an Op shop i will remember the volunteers who make these kind of places happen. So if you ever happen to travel to Bingara, please make sure you pay a visit to the Op shop and get a taste of their kindness revolution. 

Back in Bev's and Chris' home, conversations never run dry. We share travel tales and lessons of life over delicious food and good wine. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, en par with the attitude of greyhound Billy.  The only time the heart rate is slightly raised, is on the morning Chris offers to take my overdue blood test (and Louise takes his). 

The only good thing about leaving this place this morning is that we can start looking forward to coming back again. We send our heartfelt thanks to Bev and Chris for having us and to Sarah, for making it all happen! 


Bingara, we will be back! 












 
Location: Bingara NSW 2404, Australia

Comments

  1. SarahApril 12, 2022 at 8:20 PM

    So thrilled to read this! I just knew you'd all click. When you hadn't blogged for a couple of days, I joked with Ben that perhaps you'd found your destination and moved in!!

    ReplyDelete

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