Just last week, Tourism Moree CEO Tammy Elbourne was speaking out against the harsh Queensland border closure which is preventing her and many others from seeing their boarding school children.
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And now, Mrs Elbourne's greatest fear in relation to the border closure has been realised - her son Josh, 17, the eldest of three children, injured himself playing rugby on Saturday afternoon and she and her husband Jason are unable to get to Brisbane to be with him as he faces major surgery on Wednesday.
"The moment you see your son being taken away to hospital in an ambulance with a serious injury and you're not there is bad enough for any parent but to then quickly realise you're not allowed to go to him and be with him at all, your world just suddenly stops for a moment and our hearts sank," Mrs Elbourne said.
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Josh, a year 12 student at a boarding school in Brisbane, was due to sit his HSC trial exams on Monday.
Instead, he is due to undergo surgery to have pins and screws put in his leg and ankle on Wednesday morning after he completely dislocated his ankle and broke his lower leg during the accident on Saturday.
However, his parents are unable to be with him as they are stuck in Moree, NSW, and their urgent requests for exemptions to cross the Queensland border to be with their son are yet to receive any form of response from the government.
"The last 20 hours have proven impossible for us to even speak to someone within the Queensland exemptions department," Mrs Elbourne said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
"We have been told it would take longer than 48 hours to even get an answer either way. We have made multiple phone calls to border police, Queensland Health, several emails and permits sent. And still not even a response.
"This is unnecessary heartache. We are talking about a minor, we are talking about our son, our child."
On Tuesday, Mrs Elbourne was still yet to receive a response and the last person she spoke to from Queensland Health told her it could be 10 days before they get an exemption.
"She said, 'it's not urgent, is he dying?' I just lost it. What a question to ask a mum," Mrs Elbourne said.
"Any person who's a mother would understand what a family in a position like this would feel like. Denying parental access is just wrong.
"The only thing that's keeping us sane at the moment is the incredible support we've received from the school, our family here and up there and friends up there. I don't know what I'd do if we didn't have that."
Josh's best friend's mum is currently taking care of him before he goes in for surgery alone on Wednesday. He'll most likely spend a few days recovering in hospital before he will then be released and will need to spend at least four weeks off his foot, which means he'll be reliant on the care of others.
"To rely on someone else to do that is a big ask," Mrs Elbourne said.
"We are so grateful for everyone's love, support and care for our boy.
"He's a big boy and he will be okay, but he's still my son and the thought of him going in to surgery by himself breaks my heart."
Mrs Elbourne understands that there needs to be border closures and rules in place to protect Australians from COVID-19, however she would like to see the system changed to reflect the unique circumstances that so many families, like hers, are facing.
And she's calling on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to start listening to the thousands of people currently being unnecessarily impacted by the strict border closure.
"It's the process that's failing people; the process is flawed," she said.
"We respect that the rules are for everyone's protection; we too want to keep Queensland and every state safe. We come from a very close border community with no COVID at all, none within a 500 kilometre radius, but these blanket rules are causing unnecessary heartache.
"I'm more at risk of going there [to Brisbane] and catching coronavirus than me bringing it to them.
"This is about the system and it's failing our communities and people who are suffering with similar or worse situations.
"They're treating us like criminals.
"We are disgusted to hear the heartbreaking stories of families being denied access to loved ones during times of need, sickness and grief. These stories are not just NSW residents but also Queensland residents.
"Stop insulting us with saying your job is to protect Queensland - you are not protecting Queensland, you are destroying it."
Mrs Elbourne said one positive to come from this is the outpouring of support she's received not only from family and friends and the Moree community, but from complete strangers who saw her post on Facebook.
"I've had people message me from Bribie Island, they don't know me and I don't know them, but saying we can get there and be with Josh," she said.
"That's the real Australian spirit. We're not each other's enemy. The only way we're going to get through this is to do it together."
And while Mrs Elbourne is resigned to the fact that unless some miracle occurs, she will be unable to make it to Brisbane in time for Josh's surgery, she hopes these "unnecessary" restrictions can be changed so no other family has to go through the same thing.
"It's too late for us to get there, but I don't want this to happen to any other family," she said.