Our dad, Grant Whelan, has lived in Coles Bay his whole life. His family came to the bay in 1947, and Dad spent his working years as a crayfisherman out of Coles Bay on the Southern Cross.

In December 1993, when the crayboat Trevor John was wrecked on a reef off Tasmania's west coast, Dad went to the rescue in horrendous conditions and pulled crewman Tony Burgess from the sea. For that he was awarded the Bravery Medal, granted by the Queen and presented at Government House in 1995. If you're from the east coast, you probably know him, or at least a story about him.

In the early hours of 11/07/26, as Tasmania Police have reported, two men broke into Dad's home on Coles Bay Road, assaulted him, tied him up, robbed him, and set fire to his house before fleeing. Dad is 76. He survived, and he is now in the Royal Hobart Hospital being treated for his injuries. We are so grateful he is still with us.

But the house and everything in it are gone. His clothes, his furniture, his tools, a lifetime of photographs, and the Bravery Medal he was proudest of. Dad is old school and never held insurance, so there is nothing coming to help him start again.

Dad has spent his life helping other people, as anyone who knows him will tell you. Now he has to recover from this attack and rebuild from nothing, and for once he's the one who needs a hand.

Funds raised will go directly to Dad and will cover his immediate needs first (clothing, essentials, medical and recovery costs, and somewhere to live) and then go toward rebuilding his home. This fundraiser is organised by his daughter Chantel on behalf of our family, and every dollar goes to him.

If you can't donate, sharing this page helps more than you know. Thank you from all of us.

— Chantel (Channy), Belinda (Lil), Vanessa (Nes), Tarnia, Trish and Sam, and the whole Whelan family