ONE FOR THE RECORD

Tweed author captures curious Covid-19 chapter in new book

By MARGARET DEKKER

When retired Tweed Coast counsellor Meredith Lewellyn holds the book she’s just written, tears of joy and disbelief well in her eyes.

Joy that she wrote it – “I am no writer” – but disbelief too that this surreal chapter in Australian history on which ‘Locked Out’ is based – of Queensland’s 2021 border closure – ever happened.

Between July 23, 2021 and January 15, 2022 the Queensland-NSW border was barricaded, stopping countless people from entering the state and poignantly, thousands of Queenslanders from going to their own homes while a pandemic played out.

While waiting, up to six months for some, these people – grey nomads, parents, children, solo travellers, interstate workers, and their pets, vehicles, and belongings – were holed up in makeshift arrangements largely in regional New South Wales, as a clogged Queensland Government entry process slowly reached their name and hopefully let them in.

There was no direct government support nor funding for these ‘refugees of their own country’ during this time as the bills, missed commitments and lost moments racked up back at home, amounting to thousands of dollars and tears.

It’s a remarkable story and one Meredith Llewellyn tells from her perspective as a Tweed resident, born-Queenslander, devout Christian, mother, and tireless campaigner for reportedly 16-thousand displaced people.

“When I look at the book I think ‘Yes, these stories had to be written.  They had to be told, they couldn’t just dissipate and be lost.  They had to be put in print and go into the annals of Australian history,” Meredith Llewellyn author, told The Northern Rivers Times.

“I felt the surge of outrage rise again as I grappled with what was happening.  This was Australia in 2021, a civilised nation, a land of opportunity, a lucky country.  What was happening to our country?  Government decisions were forcing people into desperate situations.  People were facing homelessness or were already without a safe place to stay and had lost their source of income.  Any savings they had were fast disappearing.  They still faced weeks of not being allowed home.  There was no way.  They were locked out.” Meredith Llewellyn writes in her new book, ‘Locked Out.’

The 122-page work charts the lived experiences of Queensland residents – new and returning – unable to get home, over weeks that grew into long months.

“I’m not aware of any other state or country in the world who locked their residents out from their homes,” Meredith Llewellyn author said.

From ‘Horse Lady,’ prevented from feeding her prized horses on the Gold Coast; snow-worker Grant who arrived in Meredith’s driveway, destitute and broken after living in his car at a Tweed truck stop for 6-weeks “I held him as he shook and trembled”  .. Wendy who’d had two showers in one month; Tez and Peter holed up in Tenterfield; Leah’s mission to enter Queensland’s Hotel Quarantine program from nearby Tweed Shire via Sydney; and then the suicidal.  To name a few.

“They had no place to stay other than building sheds, deserted warehouses, roadsides, truck stops and cars – places where there was no running water, no electricity, no bathroom.” Meredith Llewellyn explains in ‘Locked Out.’

She laments these “refugees’” only crime was not getting back to Queensland in time before the border closed; either because they didn’t get the message or couldn’t leave a dying relative or interstate work or were just physically unable to drive the distance in the given hours.

Meredith Llewellyn feels the Government line “We’re keeping Queenslanders safe” was unfair, even insulting, and was shocked at the degree of public support in Queensland for this justification at the time.

“It appeared that only Queenslanders who were in Queensland were the ones worth protecting or being kept ‘safe.’  Over and over, daily we heard it stated, “We are keeping Queenslanders safe.”  There were over 16,000 Queenslanders not safe, but there was nothing that reassured them they were worth keeping safe,” she writes.

‘Locked Out’ is also Meredith Llewellyn’s story of how she and husband David rallied friends, family, her Presbyterian church community, locals, to raise tens of thousands of dollars privately to help keep these ‘Queensland Refugees’ afloat; rents paid back home, a food voucher here, a camping spot and hired caravan there, a warm meal and even warmer hug.

As Meredith relentlessly spoke out; on the airwaves, to Queensland’s press, to state and federal politicians including then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison, to opposition members, even the state’s Human Rights Commissioner – in pursuit of having these people’s stories voiced, heard, and validated when all others had seemingly forgotten them as “they weren’t important enough.”

“And I had to write it for me too.  There’s a disbelief still that goes with ‘what happened?’ and what did we all live through for 6-months; that this was Australia and we treated people like this.  That we created a minority group, and the governments left them without support,” Meredith Llewellyn writes in ‘Locked Out.’

“I was left wondering what it was that was stopping the Queensland government from offering such logical solutions to allowing people to return to the safety of their own homes …”

More broadly, Meredith also questions the notion of compassion, in that unprecedented time of Covid-19 in Australia.

“Is this what COVID and COVID decisions have done to us as Australians – made us forget what putting the boot on the other foot feels like?  Blinded us to ‘what if that was me’ thinking and being able to see things from someone else’s position?  Closed the compassion valve in our hearts?  No longer does it feel that we are the land of the free, the land of possibilities, the lucky country.”

For all its regret, ‘Locked Out’ is also a celebration of the human spirit and the many acts of love and kindness performed in dire circumstances.  And humour, as changing government decisions and directives unfolded over the weeks – Queensland’s Home Quarantine Trial, for one – testing the patience and resolve of many.

“My tolerance level has now exceeded my medication intake!!” ‘Robyn’ was quoted from the now fabled Facebook page, ‘Homeless Outside QLD due to border restrictions.’

This closed group, which grew to 5000 members at its height, is also part of the ‘Locked Out’ story as group members rallied, advised, supported, and ultimately saw each other home to Queensland.

The Northern Rivers region of New South Wales is also mentioned for its part in providing showgrounds, support, smiles and a desperately needed safe haven for so many then.

“ .. Ballina to Kyogle, a lot of these Northern Rivers communities, they housed and cared for these Queenslanders and there’s a lot of love that’s there for many of the Queenslanders who eventually went home.

“ .. The Murwillumbah wider community became aware of the situation they had on their doorstep and grocery deliveries, fruit boxes, fuel and grocery vouchers, pizza nights, sausage sizzles, donated monies for park fees, were often and many in the weeks that became months for those camped there,” Meredith Llewellyn writes in ‘Locked Out.’

Meg and Greg Fallon, the ‘care takers’ at Murwillumbah Showgrounds, received a special mention.

“They nursed those people who arrived in shambolic wretchedness, and they gathered the community around, and that community embraced and looked after those people for weeks, even months.”

Meredith Llewellyn also dedicates a chapter to forgiveness.

“If we don’t, they define us forever.”

.. As she looks to the greater purpose of the book, among the first published in Australia on the Covid-19 experience (“that’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”) less than 12-months after these extraordinary events unfolded.

“I hope it will acknowledge that there was so much harm done and lasting harm and hurt, and losses that they haven’t recovered from yet, financial loss, mental loss, emotional loss, the loss of time.

“Surely there must be some accountability for the loss of human rights in leaving people without access to the things that are basic to health, wellbeing and survival?” Meredith Llewellyn writes in ‘Locked Out.’

.. Before this true ‘freedom-fighter’ (who some are now tipping for a Medal of the Order of Australia) is asked a simple question, ‘Are you glad you wrote Locked Out?’

“Some people might think the book is a bat that I’m going to beat up bureaucrats with, that’s not why I wrote the book, I wrote it because people need to be validated for what they went through, they need a chance to have their voice heard and they need to see it was real what happened and they need to know that somebody understood and that they did matter,” Meredith Lewellyn author told The Northern Rivers Times.

“Even as I read it now as a hard copy, there are still moments in there where I pause and the tears flow,” she smiled quietly.

‘Locked Out’ is available through authoracademybookstore.com.au – Proceeds from its sales go to charity.

Responses to the book, ‘Locked Out’

“I had started to read the book but have put it aside. I think I need to mentally ready myself. Our journey was painful, but others were much worse. Congratulations on the book, these stories needed to be told.

“I will never forgive this QLD gov, but I am going to focus on and be inspired by you and all those wonderful people who stepped up and supported each other. If it wasn’t for the FB page and your constant words of support, your radio interviews and now your book! It would have been a lot harder. We were locked out for 4.5 months and it would have been a very lonely experience without you all.

“I’m a border resident and this has etched in my mind forever …

“Not a week goes past where we don’t mention quarantine and the rubbish and cost, we endured. Thank you for writing, Meredith Llewelyn,” members of the ‘Homeless outside of QLD’ Facebook page wrote.