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Speaker 1: Now we know that certainly everybody keeping a pretty close

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Speaker 1: eye still on the situation in Catherine. And we spoke

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Speaker 1: yesterday to Trent at Roden Rifle, and you know, I

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Speaker 1: really heard more about the town banding together in an

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Speaker 1: effort to try and recover after that water inundation. Unfortunately,

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Speaker 1: it does sound as though things were a little bit

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Speaker 1: hairy again last night. Now joining us on the line

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Speaker 1: is Joanna Holden, the mayor of Catherine.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Joe, Good morning, Katie. How are you?

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Speaker 1: I'm pretty good, probably better than you. You know, we're

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Speaker 1: all having a winge about having to boil the water,

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Speaker 1: but we're pretty lucky in comparison to what the residents

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Speaker 1: of Catherine are going through at the moment.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I think you're right. I started last week

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Speaker 2: on Friday, people saying, oh, how am I situated in

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Speaker 2: Kansas the flooding, And I said, well, I'd be looking

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Speaker 2: for somebody called Noah if my place is under threat.

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Speaker 2: But I wake up this morning thinking I might need

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Speaker 2: him if this keep that nice?

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Speaker 1: Bloody hell? So how did it go last night?

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Speaker 2: So there's been it's localized, so the river is up.

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Speaker 2: It was at sixteen point six y nine, I think

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Speaker 2: about six thirty this morning. So the river is coming

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Speaker 2: back up. But what it is is we're getting these

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Speaker 2: localized dumps of rain and that is driving up creeks

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Speaker 2: around Catherine and areas that are already the water is high,

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Speaker 2: they are going up because of these localized are downpours.

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Speaker 2: So it's areas where the water haven't drained away is

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Speaker 2: now coming back up. And they're houses that didn't get

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Speaker 2: inundated over the weekend that are now underspread of inundation

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Speaker 2: because of that localized rain.

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Speaker 1: And so what does that mean for those residents at

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Speaker 1: this point in time? Is it a weight and watch? Like,

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Speaker 1: what are you expecting to happen today?

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Speaker 2: I thought it might have been clearing, to be honest, Katie,

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Speaker 2: but I'm just looking at the sky now and it's

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Speaker 2: it's dark, it's threatening more rain. So it's not looking good.

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Speaker 2: And it won't take much for the water to start

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Speaker 2: creeping in to some of those areas because it is

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Speaker 2: so high and there's so much lying around the place.

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Speaker 2: And the other thing is with the river coming back up,

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Speaker 2: there's nowhere for it to go.

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Speaker 1: And jo you mentioned before that you know even at

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Speaker 1: your place like that, you are having a joke about it,

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Speaker 1: you know, if the water gets that high. But it

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Speaker 1: sounds like in a lot of different areas where maybe

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Speaker 1: in Catherine people have considered themselves to be pretty safe,

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Speaker 1: it's not looking quite so safe at this point.

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Speaker 2: No, and that's it, and that's what I've been saying

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Speaker 2: to people. Katie. Look, you just need to stay informed

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Speaker 2: and stay aware, because yes, we've had a neighbor my

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Speaker 2: husband's gone out to help this morning because there is

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Speaker 2: water coming into their property, which is not where you

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Speaker 2: would expect it to be. So yes, it's coming up

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Speaker 2: in unexpected areas. So people just need to be aware

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Speaker 2: and to encourage people to if you don't need to

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Speaker 2: be out and about. I know schools are back, there's

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Speaker 2: pop up schools and that happening today. But if people

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Speaker 2: could reduce their activity around the floodwaters and going through floodwaters,

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Speaker 2: that would be great, that would be awesome because you know,

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Speaker 2: it creates bower waves, causes damage and it isn't it

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Speaker 2: isn't safe for people to be to be doing that.

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Speaker 2: So encouraging people to just minimize the amount of activity

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Speaker 2: outside at their homes that they need to be doing.

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Speaker 1: Joanna do you feel as so, you know, like do you,

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Speaker 1: as the mayor and other residents in Catherine, feel as

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Speaker 1: though you've been getting you know, the information that you need.

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Speaker 1: You know, particularly I suppose when it comes to you know,

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Speaker 1: to the info coming out from the bureau and even

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Speaker 1: you know, secure int.

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Speaker 2: Katie. I think we can always learn from what we

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Speaker 2: have done. There's that we can and we can always

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Speaker 2: do better. I do think sometimes we forget that not

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Speaker 2: everybody is on social media these days. I grow I

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Speaker 2: think it's important to ensure that we are messaging out

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Speaker 2: to people. I think, and you know, this is by

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Speaker 2: no means criticism of what has been done, the response

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Speaker 2: by the anti government, by local agencies on the ground.

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Speaker 2: There are people that have not slept in five days,

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Speaker 2: trying to get done what needs to be done and

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Speaker 2: to support people and get the help out there. But

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Speaker 2: I do think that in times like these, there does

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Speaker 2: need to be frequent communication so that people feel secure

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Speaker 2: that they know what's happening, even if it's the same

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Speaker 2: information that is going out there, at least people feel informed.

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Speaker 2: I think that's a critical piece in the disaster process,

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Speaker 2: is ensuring people have a sense and that gives you

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Speaker 2: I think a sense of patrol, doesn't it that you

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Speaker 2: can you know what's happening and it reduces that stress

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Speaker 2: and that anxiety that Katie, you know, this is one

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Speaker 2: of This is the most fantastic town in Australia. I

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Speaker 2: have to tell you that everybody just bandies together. Everybody

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Speaker 2: is contributing something to the either the you know, during

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Speaker 2: the flood or after the flood. Some people have been

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Speaker 2: contributed as I said, since this all started. I know

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Speaker 2: some people is their job, but they have gone above

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Speaker 2: and beyond. They've put in long hours. I know that

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Speaker 2: there are quite a few antique government personnel who have

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Speaker 2: been going since Thursday and they have had damage done,

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Speaker 2: They've had inundation in their property and their probably just

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Speaker 2: sitting there waiting for them to get all of us

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Speaker 2: through this so they can go back there blood. So

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Speaker 2: were Yeah they are and look what you know they're

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Speaker 2: just Catherine is so resilient. They are awesome in obvious

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Speaker 2: saying to people this is our centenary year, as you know,

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Speaker 2: so is this given it's our centenary year and it flooded?

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Speaker 2: Is this a one on one hundred year flood? But

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Speaker 2: I think what it does is in our centenary year.

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Speaker 2: It highlights all the best qualities about our town and

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Speaker 2: about our people. A disaster lot of this.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's the thing I really love about Territori ands. Hey,

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Speaker 1: when the chips are down and when things aren't going

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Speaker 1: so well, everybody does help you each other out, and

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Speaker 1: it's a really you know, it's such a wonderful asset

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Speaker 1: to have. So I'm really pleased to hear that that's

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Speaker 1: the case there in Catherine Joanna. In terms of like

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Speaker 1: the damage, I'm assuming that at this point in time,

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Speaker 1: you guys like the council can't even sort of get

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Speaker 1: in there and really assess things when there is still

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Speaker 1: that threat of the river rising.

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Speaker 2: So the Anti government has been assessing their infrastructure as

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Speaker 2: much as they can, and we have been doing the same.

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Speaker 2: But yes, unfortunately for us, a lot of our infrastructure,

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Speaker 2: such as the showgrounds and the sporting grounds are still

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Speaker 2: inundated with water. The waste management facility will take a

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Speaker 2: while to come back online, but we are there was

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Speaker 2: messaging out yesterday afternoon. We are doing curb side pickups,

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Speaker 2: so put you willy beIN out we will. If you've

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Speaker 2: got some rubbish that you need to get rid of

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Speaker 2: damaged goods put them on your curb side. The Chief

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Speaker 2: Minister has assured me that the Anti government will support

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Speaker 2: us in doing the curb side pickup for this they

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Speaker 2: put on the curb side, we will get out there

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Speaker 2: starting on the twelve to collect that. And we are

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Speaker 2: also doing a really bin replacement. So if you're really

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Speaker 2: bits now at the Daily River, we will find a

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Speaker 2: way to give you a replacement one. We are just

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Speaker 2: working on how we do that.

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Speaker 1: Good on you guys now, Joanna. And before I let

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Speaker 1: you go, like in terms of food and water for residents,

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Speaker 1: have you guys got everything that you need?

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Speaker 2: Look, I'm justin Woollie's now doing a bit of a

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Speaker 2: shop to send some food out to some people who

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Speaker 2: to areas that are isolated. Woolworth is full. There is

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Speaker 2: plenty of food in Woolworth. They tell me there's more

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Speaker 2: stock coming in. I was just talking to one of

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Speaker 2: the staff there. There's more stock coming in. The Butcher's

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Speaker 2: Blue Hole. Butchers has been operating the whole time, so

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Speaker 2: big shout out to them. Catherine Fruit and Veg has

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Speaker 2: been operating the entire time as well. Katheryne east Side

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Speaker 2: Store and Happy Corner and a range of other places

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Speaker 2: and if I haven't meted do my apologies. So there

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Speaker 2: is plenty of food and water. The issue is that

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Speaker 2: some places they can't get in to get it, but

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Speaker 2: NTI government are working on getting supplies out to those areas.

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Speaker 1: Good stuff. I'm pleased to hear that well, Joanna Holden,

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Speaker 1: the Katherine Mayor. I really appreciate you taking the time

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Speaker 1: to have a chat with us this morning. No doubt

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Speaker 1: we'll talk to you again soon.

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Speaker 2: Yep, No, it's Katie, great to talk to you. You have

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Speaker 2: an awesome day.

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Speaker 1: Say you to look after yourself and everybody else in Catherine.

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Speaker 1: Good on your job.

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Speaker 2: Thank you.

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Speaker 1: Seea