Sunday, March 31 was Neighbour Day, which is Australia's annual celebration of community, encouraging people to connect with those who live in their neighbourhood.
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It is also a time to reflect and re-connect. We like to see ourselves as a close-knit community, one that looks out for each other and knows our neighbour.
And for some of us this may still ring true, but for many more of us this romantic idea of our country community masks the lonely reality that many of us don't know our neighbour, don't feel connected to our community and feel alone and forgotten.
Australians are increasingly time poor, with many households having all adults in employment, and less time for community engagement and neighbourhood connection.
Fewer people know, and interact with, their neighbours and are members of community groups.
The circle of people we feel we can turn to when we need a hand, or a shoulder to cry on is shrinking in all age groups.
We have all seen and experienced how strong and connected our community can be, when we came together in the face of adversity in April 2015 to Bounce Forward in our recovery, our efforts then continue to be an inspiration to many many communities across the nation and across the globe today.
However it is imperative that we don't become complacent in our relationships and community connections.
The very strength and connection - the people and supports - we relied on in our hour of need are what can bring support, laughter and connection in our daily lives.
However if we don't nurture and care for our community connections we will lose them.
So with Neighbour Day just past, I urge you to take this opportunity to all know your neighbour, connect with your street and create connections in your community. We know that connected communities are healthier, happier, safer places to be and they reduce isolation in our daily lives.
We also know that an emergency connected communities survive and recover better, building on their close knit networks of support to build a stronger community after the disaster.
Head over to the DSCC website for tips, hints and resources to help you connect with your neighbours and street www.dscc.net.au/disaster-preparedness
