Got Their Priorities Straight!

Heard a story on the radio today that gave a glimpse of the quintessential qualities of Australians.

It rained more or less for about two weeks straight along the eastern seaboard in Australia. In many places dealing with the worst drought on record, this was a good relieve. But in some places, it rained just a bit too much. The Hunter Valley in New South Wales, famous for its wines, is flooded. A little town called Hinton, with a population of 400, has become an island. As happens in a lot of natural disasters, many people of Hinton have lost their homes and are now relying on supplies brought to them by the State Emergency Service (SES). The quick response of the SES has helped the locals take the isolation in stride. Now they are just waiting for the water to recede.

So far so good with the story - pretty normal stuff, really. Then a twist in the story just makes it so uniquely Australian. An important event was happening last night and the town needed extra supplies from the SES. That event was none other than the State of Origin - the Queensland Maroons was playing the New South Wales Blues in the annual rugby league series. Ever since the flood water made the town into an island, its beer supply has been steadily dwindling. Beer supply at the local pub, which has become the meeting point for the stranded residents since the flood had started, was now at a dangerously low level! What would the people drink while watching the game?! No worries, just send an SOS to the SES. And what do you know? A dozen kegs were delivered by boat to the pub by the afternoon. a crisis was averted.

Good thing they got the kegs there, because the Maroons beat the Blues at the end of the night. So the good people of Hinton, New South Wales, had enough juice to drown their sorrows. Don't talk to them about their lost possessions, their team just lost the State of Origin, again! Just give them some time...