
The Willis Family Fire Fund
Donation protected
On the afternoon of June 20th 2018, Yorkeys Knob residents and the wider community watched on helplessly as flames engulfed the home of the Willis family and threated the surrounding houses. Our hearts broke to see the tears and panic on the boy’s faces as the fire took hold.
As the last flame was put out we, as a community breathed a sigh of relief learning that nobody was physically hurt and by some miracle the fire had spared the family’s home, surrounding properties and only taking with it the Willis’s garage and back area.
Just 12 hours later well wishes poured in from neighbours and residents and the story of how wonderful the Willis family truly are and the devastating extent of what they had actually lost spread further throughout the Northern Beaches community. This knowledge brought about a mass of people within the community who wanted to help in any way they could.
Geoff and Sheila Willis have lived in Yorkeys Knob for 20 years and have worked hard to provide their three children Laura, Trevor and Ross a happy home. Not always an easy task but Geoff and Sheila have achieved the dream of a happy life and very loving home.
At an age when most children would be pulling away from home to spend more time with friends, Trevor (15) and Ross (12) are just as close to their dad as ever. The garage and outdoor area was the hub of most family activities. Hours and hours were spent in the garage together planning countless fishing trips, family camping holidays, sharing laughs and special moments of Geoff teaching his sons how to fix and build things. The memories made there will last forever but sadly over 20 years of tools, fishing rods/gear, gardening equipment, camping essentials and so much more was lost within minutes.
An area near the back of the house was specially built for the young boys to have a teenage “hang out” space filled with everything a kid could want… Television, iPad, iPod, trophies, football boots, new motorbike gear and so much more was all lost too.
Geoff and Sheila count themselves lucky. Their children are happy and healthy, the family is loving and they are stronger than ever. They have structural insurance which will cover the clean-up of the fire remains and hopefully the cost rebuilding of the garage and back area… The contents insurance however will nowhere near cover the amount of items lost.
The constant messages, emails and comments on the Cairns Northern Beaches Community Group has prompted me to create this fundraising site so that people can help the Willis family if only in a small way. As said, Geoff and Sheila count themselves lucky, never asking for help but would be the first to offer assistance to anyone who needs it… This is one of the main reasons why I and members of the community find the Willis family so deserving of our generosity.
Some of the items we hope to help the Willis family replace are:
*Basic Tools
*Electrical Tools – including table saw, drill etc.
*Fishing Equipment and fishing rods
*Lawn mower, wiper sniper and other gardening tools
*Camping equipment for a family
*Motorbike safety wear including helmet and boots
*School books, uniform and shoes (Smithfield High School)
*Football uniform and boots
*Television, PlayStation
*GoPro, iPad, laptop and iPod
*Plumbing equipment
Or any items that are needed that haven't been thought of yet.
If you are unable to donate money but wish to help the Willis family by donating an item or voucher, please contact me directly via email:
[email redacted]
Thank you,
Jade Kendall
-Creator and admin of the Cairns Northern Beaches Community Group
Organizer
Jade Kendall
Organizer