The alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines has left her community in Indi reeling, with a volunteer who spent a week with her in Canberra describing her as a beacon of compassion and integrity.
Tim Berenyi, a forest firefighter, Mansfield shire councillor and Voices 4 Indi committee member, wrote about his experience in a piece for Guardian Australia, expressing his shock and sadness at the news.
A Community in Shock
Berenyi said the grief and confusion from the incident is palpable throughout the hills and valleys of Indi, and feels as though it has spread across the country. He described the feeling as a mixture of disbelief, anger and sadness, asking, "How did we get here?"
He recalled moving home to Mansfield, at the base of the Victorian Alps, two years ago at age 30, partly to be more involved with what Haines and her team have been building: a genuine sense of community founded on the idea that democracy is for us and by us.
A Week of Inspiration
In May, Berenyi spent a week in Canberra as part of Haines' parliamentary volunteer program, attending meetings and observing how she serves her communities. He called it the most inspiring week of his life.
During budget week, amid all the meetings, media commitments and delivering rousing speeches, Haines managed to bake seven sponge cakes for the people around her. Berenyi noted that she gives everyone the same kindness, compassion and fair consideration, regardless of their political affiliation.
Compassion and Cake
Berenyi said the access and respect volunteers received because they were associated with Haines was astounding, not just from politicians but from staff, from those at the library to those in the canteen.
When he asked why she made all those cakes in a tiny kitchen, Haines simply said it was because people appreciate a bit of kindness, and everyone loves cake.
Berenyi concluded that if we were all a bit more like Haines, we'd work our way through complex problems together, hoping she gets a lot more time to spend with the people she loves.
