By Romy Stephens
A mother’s documentation of the Covid-19 pandemic will now go down in local history, in the form of a book.
When the pandemic first hit Australia earlier this year, Elissa McKay began writing daily news updates on behalf of Mums of the Hills – a Facebook group created to support mums in the Dandenong Ranges.
The updates were a collection of what was making news headlines locally, state-wide and internationally during the pandemic.
“There was so much complex information out there, I realised it was taking all of my skills and experience – my degree in anthropology, my work in federal politics and the media – to make sense of everything,” Ms Mckay said.
“I thought if I could help our hills group find an easy pathway into the important information, I could help us be prepared and be safe.”
According to Mums of the Hills, Ms Mckay’s informative, yet entertaining, updates soon became essential reading for over 60,000 people.
And the readership spread far beyond the Yarra Ranges, to interstate and overseas.
Mums of the Hills founder Belinda Young said the posts would now be converted to a book, called Moments of Hysteria, and a copy would also be donated to the national archives.
“We have decided that these updates should be published, and stand as a historic reference to Melbourne and specifically the Yarra Ranges’ time in lockdown,” she said.
“We have had several photo competitions to encourage locals to share their own lockdown experiences which, combined with Elissa’s updates, will provide an important local recount of our time in lockdown for future generations to reflect and learn from.”
Ms Mckay admitted it wasn’t always easy to research and write updates throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns, but she said she felt it was the only way she could contribute to her community.
“Like so many hills families, we had a lot of people trying to get their stuff done in a small space – me trying to meet my professional commitments, my husband working from home, my kid doing remote schooling, and the extrovert baby just up on his feet and ready to explore a world that wasn’t ready for him,” she said.
“Adding in several hours each day for me to analyse the media and connect with our community, and it became bedlam at times.
“But I felt this was the best and only thing I could do to keep my community, and my family, safe.”
She said the experience was also very rewarding and she gained a whole new understanding of the media landscape.
“Some of the best, most informative, most insightful journalism has happened in the last year, but other outlets seem to have completely lost touch with what most of us think and feel,” Ms McKay said.
“There is a profound and growing disconnect between some parts of the media and the Australian public, culminating now in Rudd’s media petition before Parliament.”
“It’s a fascinating and volatile time for media, science and politics in this country.”
Moments of Hysteria is available for pre-sale and any remaining funds after costs will be donated to EDVOS, a local domestic violence charity.
To view Elissa McKay’s updates, visit www.facebook.com/mumsofthehills.
To pre-purchase Moments of Hysteria, https://ko-fi.com/mumsofthehills/shop.
