This historic SE QLD flood disaster has affected many, many people, leaving devastation and heartache in its wake. On Friday morning, when we received the call from dad, who lives in Gympie, we knew it must be a dire situation; he was alone, uninsured, with nowhere to safely store his possessions. Being too far away to help, my four sisters and I spent the morning frantically calling storage sheds and truck services with no luck until we put a plea out on the local community Facebook page. Thankfully, a small crew of kind strangers stepped in to help move dad and some of his things to higher ground. A few short hours later, the Mary river swallowed the house up completely, the worst flood Gympie’s seen in 124 years.

 

Our father is a proud man; he prides himself on helping others less fortunate all over the world however he can, and would never ask for help for himself & we have always respected that, but this time it’s different.

 

As the floodwaters recede around his home, it’s becoming clear that there will be nothing much salvageable apart from the bare structure of the house. Dad is a pretty resilient man & not one to show emotion, but we can tell he’s not coping with such a bleak outcome, and we’re trying to do everything we can to lift his spirits and help him rebuild his home and his life. So we are asking the help of friends and loved ones to help us do that.

 

We will be using the funds to rebuild. While we are still waiting for help to assess the extent of the damage, we are considering all the options he has with the build. We will keep this page updated with the build plans and where all the money is going.

 

We know these times are hard for everybody, and plenty of people need help. The community of Gympie is strong & he feels blessed to be a part of it.

We are asking for donations of any amount, however small as every little bit counts. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
From his 5 girls, Jo, Pope, Ness, Flip & Lae  X

 

 

‘Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much’ Helen Keller