The desert doesn’t give its beauty freely. It’s a place of extremes, where the elements strip everything down to its core. But in that raw, unforgiving space, there’s room to discover something deeper – your strength, your truth, and the bonds that hold us together. Helena – our H – saw that potential in the desert and everyone around her. 

For many years, she championed a space where people could show up as themselves, unpolished and imperfect, and still feel like they belonged. She believed in the power of people – messy, complicated, different, wonderful people – to create something extraordinary together, even in the harshest conditions. In her presence, the impossible seemed natural. Barriers fell, ideas flourished, and strangers became family. She saw potential where others saw nothing but endless dust. She built with us – not just the town, or the event, but connections that could outlast even the fiercest storms.

Even after she’d moved on to (arguably) cooler, more sophisticated and cultured pastures, her light continued to shine across the international DPW and Burn communities as was shown by the many devotions, memories and tributes poured out since Helena passed at the end of 2024.

She’s been a potent leader, inspiration and guide in so many people’s journeys – we feel the weight of her absence, as well as the abundance of her legacy. 

Because H wasn’t just here. She is here. She’s in the grit and determination we bring to the desert and to our lives, in the bonds we’ve built, and in every sunset that reminds us of the beauty she saw in Tankwa Town – and in all of us.

We’ll miss you Helena. But the desert still whispers your name. You are not gone from our community. Your work is never over, because we are your work.

Come! We go.