‘How’s The Weather?’ Declared Official Language of the Shire After Unprecedented Weekend of Relentless Rain and Reluctant Small Talk

Sienna Rivers | Lifestyle & Trends Columist | Sutherland Shire Gazette

3 August 2025

In a weekend so soggy it threatened to wash the smug off the Esplanade, Sutherland Shire residents have achieved something once thought impossible: talking to each other. And all it took was sideways rain, 80km/h winds, and a collective sense of meteorological betrayal.

From Cronulla to Como, locals reported record-breaking levels of unsolicited weather commentary. Neighbours who’ve spent years avoiding eye contact unless there’s a DA sign involved were seen exchanging actual words - chief among them: “How’s this weather?”

“I haven’t spoken to Gary since the hedge incident of 2021,” admitted one Kirrawee resident. “But we both reached for the recycling bin and said it at the same time. It was… emotional WD-40.”

At one point on Sunday, five strangers in Westfield Miranda allegedly made eye contact and mumbled “Don’t know where this came from,” causing a minor emotional vortex near the Myer escalators.

Meanwhile, snow has been reported in parts of NSW that don’t usually do snow - places with names like “Dungog”, “Mudgee”, and literally western Sydney.

The Shire, architecturally and psychologically unprepared for temperatures under 14 degrees, responded with its usual resilience: cranking heating to “surface-of-the-sun”, wearing thongs with Kathmandu puffers, and of course flooding group chats with photos captioned “This is cooked.

Sociologists are calling it a “rare atmospheric détente,” but expect the mood will collapse by Tuesday, replaced by mutterings of “Meant to clear”.

Until then, residents are advised to keep clinging to weather-based small talk like it’s a pool noodle in a flash flood. After all, surviving a weekend like this isn’t just about staying dry - it’s about emotionally processing 87 cancelled plans, a leaking pergola, and the existential horror of discovering your dog owns three raincoats and you own none.

In the Shire, this isn’t just bad weather - it’s a character-building event we’ll be talking about until at least Wednesday.

Shire rain