Those who made it through World War II though truly appreciate what it is to survive a time when recession and social dislocation were not the worst that could happen.

That was when annihilation, when the threat of being overrun and discarded by a fascist dictatorship and a ruthless military juggernaut, the twin evils of Germany and Japan, were the all-pervasive threat.

We cannot compare what we have experienced through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic with those times, but then it is all relevant. For most of us, the last world war is something we know of through the stories passed on by parents and grandparents, in books, in film and a whole range of other ways.

Regardless though, it's still not a lived experience. That distance in time is the very reason why warnings are made by those with a keen eye on the lessons of the terrible experiences of the past; that there are generally unseen risks of history repeating itself.

Today's deep divisions in the US, where in some quarters the notions of a true democracy have been lost in the reality of the republic, make such lessons painfully clear.

It's been tough though, with the NSW border closure heaping an enormous amount of disruption on our community. What's been significant has been way we have weathered the lost jobs, the shut businesses and the separation of families.

We certainly have voiced our concerns that the Border has been unfairly knocked by such measures, compared with the big cities. That is a point on which we would all agree, but again, it has hurt.

What has made the past few months - which feel like an even longer stretch of time - bearable has been the knowledge that we have kept a terrible virus at bay.

As Albury MP Justin Clancy says, "we as a nation have been protected from the worst".

The border reopening is a time to quietly celebrate. That shared experience means we also understand the challenge remains ever-present. COVID-19 has shown just how easily it can get away again. We have though become far more wise to what that means.