“We had an inkling something was happening,” Fraser said, “but like SARS, we thought it would be a China problem, a Toronto problem. We had no idea it would get this bad.”
About a week after their arrival, they started to hear talk about the virus in Australia. There was the panic shopping, which seemed to start in the southern nation, but soon spread around the world.
“They had hand sanitizer shortages, toilet paper shortages in the stores. Meat was disappearing from the shelves. People thought they would all be quarantined.”
She said they went out to buy their daughter a freezer, and that too was a challenge, as they were all made in China, and Chinese goods were not getting in due to the coronavirus.
Despite this issue, which was common even in Boissevain, Fraser said the Australian people they met were sensibly cautious about the disease.
“They are a lot like Manitobans,” she explained, “with the same sort of attitude. Everyone was aware of it and was super cautious. They are much like us people-wise. By the time we left, they were already home schooling.”
Although they were planning to stay until April 1, by March 15, the Frasers were getting the feeling they should take the opportunity to get home. In fact, it was around then the Canadian government was asking nationals to come back to the country. However, it was easier said than done.
“We had a hard time getting flights out. We were booking and unbooking and had to pay for our flight again.”
Fraser said they had originally booked round trip with their credit card points, but could not get ahold of the company, so they had to book with Air Canada on their own. There were a few flight cancellations and it was a difficult time.
However, eventually they were able to get a flight from Perth to Melbourne, from Melbourne to Vancouver, from Vancouver to Calgary, then from Calgary to Winnipeg. Fraser said it was a crowded flight home, not what one wants during a catchy pandemic. She added it was eerie going through mostly empty airports, as most travel had stopped. It was a little disconcerting all round, but they got through it.
“By the time we came home, we were constantly sanitizing,” she stated. “We weren’t wearing masks but constantly sanitizing. It was nerve-wracking but we got through it. You just plough through it, get to the next plane, feeling nervous.”
Their son brought a vehicle to Winnipeg, so they were able to drive themselves back to Minto. There was one memorable stop, however.
“We went through McDonald’s drive thru, and never has a Quarter Pounder tasted that good!”
Once home, they isolated for two weeks, having groceries brought to them at the house. It took a bit of time to catch up on sleep. Everything worked out, with no symptoms and now they are back out on the land and life is back to normal. They even got their credit card points back and the insurance is expected to pay for their plane tickets.
Although there is a spike in cases in Australia right now, Fraser said it is mostly in the Victoria area, and Western Australia is more or less back to normal. It was good they made the decision to leave, as they had to get the crops in and could not end up getting stuck down under. Their vacation was cut short and they were not able to do some of the touristy things they were planning, but overall, everything turned out.
“In hindsight, I don’t know when we’ll see them again,” Fraser said, “so it was good we got those two weeks.”

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff