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Heroism takes many forms. And in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, you don't have to look far to find it.
We saw it in heart-stopping action on February 28 and the days after.
We watched the flotilla of small boats pluck people to safety from their roofs and from bridges that formed islands in an ocean of floodwater.
We held our breath as Navy helicopters did the same.
Our hearts were warmed by the rekindling of kindness - paused by the meanness of COVID - as truckloads of donations and an army of volunteers rolled into the stricken region.
What we probably won't see, however, is the quiet heroism. It will be ongoing for months, if not years, as the city of Lismore and towns, villages and hamlets from the floodplains to the high ground struggle to rebuild. And it will largely be unsung.
It will be carried out by ordinary people who have found themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
People like Mel Blor in Uki, who helped lead the relief hub in that small town after first helping her neighbours who'd been cut off by a landslide.
People like Caileigh Toupin in Mullumbimby who has spent weeks coordinating relief efforts for isolated communities in the upper valleys - getting paths cut across landslides and dropping supplies off.
People like Naomi Moran and the crew at the Koori Mail in Lismore, who ran the Koori Kitchen for weeks after the flood, ensuring everyone who needed it got a hot meal. Not only that, they organised medical help and a food bank as well.
People like Dan Simpson in Woodburn, who at great financial risk worked incredibly hard to reopen the pub. "If the pub dies, the town dies," he told us.
These are the bright shining lights in the heart of darkness.
One of the great privileges of journalism is the people you meet. During my career, I've met film stars, authors, supermodels, train robbers and prime ministers.
But it's always been the everyday people who step up to do incredible things in the most difficult times who claim a special place in my memory.
Covering the aftermath of the Black Summer fires and now the floods, it has become clearer than ever the heroes are not just those in fire suits, orange overalls or khaki.
They are often just members of the community looking out for each other through the long haul that is disaster recovery.
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