Showing support for Nepal

September 17, 2026

It would have been impossible for anyone anywhere near a television, radio, newspaper or social media outlet recently to be unaware of the appalling disaster in Nepal. In a graphic example of the result of global temperature rise, melting of a glacier caused an enormous volume of ice and dirt to fall 1,200 metres. The impact immediately melted the ice and the subsequent mud flow swept away anything in its path.

Photo credit: Kate Geraghty

Editorial comment:

A note of caution about images of the event. The photo above was obviously taken well after the initial flooding, but because TV news bulletins just have to have moving images some outlets used footage from other floods elsewhere. In one extreme and bizarre example, an AI generated video was used showing people running away from a wall of water moving at 150 km/h. Don't believe everything you see.

Nobody knows the death toll for certain but it is in the thousands, with work still continuing weeks after the disaster to locate both bodies and survivors.

To raise awareness and show community support, Brenda Lyon opened her wonderful garden at Brydie Park to give everyone a chance to meet some of the local Nepalese community. Unfortunately, Oberon Matters had two things on at the same time and arrived after the singing and dancing but had time to chat to Santush who gave a potted history of the last thirty years in Nepal. Thirty years of civil war, multiple changes of government (sometimes by coups, sometimes even by elections) and more distractions from what we consider a "normal life" than most Australians could imagine. This latest disaster is just another tragedy for a country that seems to be in a constant state of struggle.

The number of people who turned out over the three days was very encouraging and shows that Oberon is ready to provide help and sympathy for people in need.

Just some of the people at Brydie Park on the Sunday. Photo Credit: Darren Reed

So what can you do to help? Attempting to fix the problems following the flooding is going to require money. Lots of it. International aid organisations are already on the ground and funnelling money towards relief efforts. You can help by making a donation to International Nepal Fellowship Australia. Dig deep. Give generously.

Brenda has to be congratulated for opening up her home and garden for this very worthy cause. The day wasn't really about the garden, but you can see what it looks like here.