These truly are times of great trouble, with many lives lost, hundreds-upon-hundreds of homes destroyed and the realisation that enormous, mind-boggling swathes of our flora and fauna have been decimated.

The time will come when we will be able to breathe a little bit deeper and look more closely at life outside of this great calamity, which for now shows no sign of abating.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Indeed, another furnace of heat and dangerous winds is predicted for Saturday.

We can only hope for some respite, eventually, from summer's deadly march.

For beyond the gargantuan efforts of our firefighters and other emergency workers - and of ordinary Australians battling to save their homes - there is not much else we can do but be resolute in our support.

When this crisis moves from emergency to recovery, it will allow us to once again widen our focus on working towards a better future - and on the Border we can do so with optimism.

Most of us wish for the security of a decent job so we can provide for our families, to be afforded the ability to contribute to efforts in our wider community so those at the margins are not forgotten.

Over recent years though the Border has lost several big employers, the most recent being the Norske Skog plant at Ettamogah.

But in a wide-ranging, detailed analysis, Australian Industry Group regional manager Tim Farrah has painted a picture in Saturday's Weekender of much to celebrate.

RELATED: WEEKENDER: Manufacturing trailblazers showing the way

Wages alone in Albury-Wodonga's manufacturing sector amount to $372 million and despite those losses, he writes, "we are blessed to have local captains of industry who are innovative, visionary and community minded".

"Under their leadership, we can be confident that the next decade will be even more exciting than the last and that manufacturing will continue to underpin our fabulous way of life on the Border."

As the response to the bushfires continues to show each and every day, we are up for the challenge.