Lismore floods - My parents lost up to $3m

I’m sure you have all heard about the flooding in northern NSW, and quite frankly, all across the East Coast. It’s hard to avoid the news. The unbelievable footage and images of residential communities completely wiped out. Families who have lost everything, their homes, their memories, the clothes on their back is, in most cases, all they have left. The pain is so real and raw for these families.

 

Thankfully, my parent's residential home was unaffected by the flooding. They have been (like so many others where possible) supporting families across the Northern Rivers who have been significantly affected. My parents have opened their home to, at my last count, 12 additional adults and children, providing a temporary home while they recover emotionally and financially through their loss. 

The same, devastatingly, cannot be said for Mum & Dad’s business, livelihood, future, which have all been decimated, and this ask for crowdfunding is one of my family's last resorts to reestablishing their lives and future.

 

My parents own one of the largest family-run businesses in Lismore as a franchise holder of the local Autobarn with a team of 24. First opening their doors in 2008, the words 'flooding in Lismore' to my parents is not an uncommon phrase. During the business's lifespan, my parents have endured five floods. Originally, Autobarn was situated on Woodlark st, and between 2008 and 2013, it operated through 3 different floods. 09 and 13 were significant floods, and my parents have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses before. Unfortunately, the reality of flooding is a risk of doing business in metro Lismore.

 

My parents decided to relocate the business to higher ground and purpose-built a new building for their business, one that would be (by design) safeguarded from any repeat of the worst flood on record. In 2017, history repeated with another significant flood rolling through Lismore. Mum & Dad still took losses in stock, wages and loss of trade; the building withstood considerable damage, only reaching the top of the stairs being the entry to the building. 

And now, on the 28th Feb 2022, history decides to outdo itself with floodwaters reaching new, eyewatering records, consuming the entire building, crushing the hearts of my family, and devastating the 24 families that the business supports (needless to say with potential unemployment only adding further pain and instability in the lives of people who have already endured so much loss).

 

Some may ask, 'do you not have insurance?' And it is a valid question. As anyone in Lismore knows, the expense to cover these types of natural disasters through insurance companies is astronomical and not at all feasible. Further, insurance companies' business models are not built on charity but profit, which means doing everything they can to avoid paying claims, finding loopholes in the policy's wording, and on a mission to hold the claimant liable for the damage. So these companies are rendered useless to support in these circumstances.

 

Suppose you can support this plea with as little as $1 to $1000, any contribution will go a long way to rebuilding the livelihood of my parents, destroyed by these inconceivable floodwaters and provide the future they so deserve after working so hard their entire lives.

 

I want to be clear that the money raised through this campaign is not going to the head office of Autobarn bottom line, which is not a profiteering campaign. These funds will be injected directly to support my family in reconstructing the building replacing electrical works, structural support, walls, plasterboard, paint, plumbing, furniture, lighting, and other critical infrastructure for a business to operate. 

The funds will support reestablishing the business itself by replacing stock lost in the flooding, retaining and supporting employees and their wages whilst there is no income from the business trade during the rebuild of the Lismore economy (both physically and financially), and most of all, ensuring my parents can continue supporting their personal livelihood, supporting them while they are helping so many others in the community.

The attached image here is my family at Christmas 2021, my siblings and I are all spread out across the country (Toowoomba, Evans Head, Newcastle and Melbourne) and it is such a great time when we all come together. My Mum & Dad are such generous, loving, hard working people who dedicated their lives to their family and truly being a part of their community. 

For me and my siblings, it is so shattering to see their spirit drained, and those smiles lost at the thought of how they can recover from this. I want to do everything I can to support my mum and dad through this time and hope to see that smile back on both of their faces, which is why this page exists. 

This is all in support of you Mum & Dad (Lynne & Stephen)!

Thank you