The McDonald Family - bring the magic back home

You will not find a more community-minded and considerate family than the McDonald Family from Machans Beach in Cairns, and I'm looking for support to show them the same love and care they provide everyone else.

Their home by the beach was recently flooded by the rain and the rising river level associated with the aftermath of Cyclone Jasper, just 2 weeks out from Christmas.

The home that they lovingly renovated was a beautiful space for Amy, Pete, Matilda (9) and Banjo (6). Last week, it was inundated by waist-deep water and mud, and they will have to start again.

The overwhelm of losing pretty much everything and the mental load of starting from scratch to fix their home is all-consuming, especially this close to Christmas and what should be a fun and relaxing time for their family.

My own girls were born at the same as Amy and Pete's and they have grown up together in that house, where the McDonald Family often cooked us beautiful dinners while we sat around drinking wine and looking forward to all the adventures we'd continue to have.

Amy and I have been the best of friends for more than 20 years and somehow we ended up living just 50m away from each other all these years later. They aren't just good friends to us...they're family.

Amy, Pete, Matilda and Banjo are resilient and optimistic and are not the kind of people to ask for help, despite all the help they provide others. They work hard and focus on what's important in life - family, friends, the environment and genuine connections. They're the epitome of the saying "good things happen to people who do good things".

On behalf of the McDonald Family, I am asking for your help to get them back on their feet. Everything will need to be fixed; from powerpoints and re-doing all the electrical, replastering the house and cleaning aboslutely everything, to replacing things like mattresses, appliances and furniture.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.