A severe drought had ravaged the Darling Downs west of Brisbane, so intense that even the hardy gum trees were dying. This image shows one of the many trees that succumbed, surrounded by the harsh yellow of dry dead grass. Yet at the base of the tree a small shrub was starting to shoot, its greenness heralding hope. To emphasise the memory of a rich land and the hope of a rich future, the background is layered with an image taken of the bark of a healthy gum tree. Its clean colours and gentle lines are both a reminder and a promise of good rains and better times to come.