As I sit here writing this, I count out 8 weeks until Christmas… Dare I hear you groan in disgust? It will likely be even closer than 8 weeks by the time this edition of Connect Cairns is in your hands. Where oh where has the year gone? What have I actually achieved this year? Those are the questions I hear frequently from those surrounding me, and ones I think myself too sometimes.
I remember clearly when January 2020 clicked over.
2019 was a tough year for a lot of people in my business and friendship circles, each with their own challenges. ‘2020 has got to be better than 2019.’, ‘I’m feeling a good vibe from 2020.’, ‘This is my year’. Those were common lines; and you know what, they were absolutely true!
I’ll be honest, between the end of March to May, life is a blur. I can tell you everything up until the moment Cairns received its first COVID-19 case (yes, I’m sorry I said the C word…). It all happened fairly quickly, and the entire region went into lockdown. Venues closed, office workers were sent to work from home, people lost jobs, and if you were lucky enough to keep your job you had reduced hours, schools closed…
the list goes on.
As schools returned in May, we all slowly started to come out of hiding, and still to this day that period between then and now continues to be a blur. The year is flying by; we’re trying to make up for the time we lost and working as hard as ever before. A majority of businesses are doing well in these new days and I’m now hearing lines like, ‘We’re so busy, we can’t keep up!’.
So, what have we actually achieved this year? Could this have been a better year? Well the short answer is yes, it could have been a better year, but we have still achieved so much!
This year we were all faced with the same challenges from the global pandemic. United, we have all had to learn and adapt at lightning speed the way we do business and how
we communicate to others. Some people completely changed their business models, while others advanced technology wise in just 2 months what previously may have taken them 2 years! We’ve learned that it is in fact better to stay home if you have a cold and NOT share the love around the office because ‘you have too much on and can’t afford a day off’. We’ve learned that there can be flexibility in the workplace. We’ve learned about people’s personal space and respecting it. We’ve learned to stop and appreciate the small things. And just as importantly, we’ve learned to support each other and our local community.
Thanks to that support, Cairns is doing ok. It might be a slow recovery from an international tourism standpoint; and sure, some will do it much tougher for much longer than others. So let’s not forget these life lessons and keep the true spirit of Cairns shining throughout the community to help those still struggling.
On behalf of all board members of the Cairns Businesswomen’s Club, we would like to thank you for your continuing support. A special thank you also goes out
to our sponsors and members. We look forward to welcoming everyone along to be a part of our incredibly supportive network soon.
Connect cbwc.org.au