HUNTER COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER AFTER STORMS
Announcement posted by Beyond Bank Australia 05 Aug 2015
2 JULY 2015
A $50,000 fund established by Beyond Bank to provide urgent assistance to people in the Hunter who were severely impacted by the major storms that hit the region in April has been helping families get back on their feet.
A partnership with St Vincent De Paul Society Maitland/Newcastle Central Council ensured the funds were distributed to those most affected in each community.
“It was important to us that our support was targeted,” Beyond Bank General Manager Distribution, Ray O’Brien explained. “Utilising its 50 conferences spread across the region, St Vincent De Paul was able to quickly identify who needed help and provide urgent assistance.”
However, it wasn’t always easy. “Following the storms, some people had to move out of their homes and our local staff and volunteers worked hard to find and contact those families,” St Vincent De Paul Executive Officer, Denise Lucas praised. “For example, in some instances they needed to utilise school networks to locate them.”
Support was provided through gift cards to shops such as Woolworths, Target, Coles and Big W. “The local knowledge of our conferences meant people were provided with gift cards for stores near them, to reduce the need to travel, and where they could purchase goods that would most help them in their individual circumstances,” Ms Lucas explained.
Through the partnership between Beyond Bank and St Vincent De Paul the fund has now been fully distributed and helped hundreds of individuals and families.
One such family is the Vanvalens of Dungog who escaped their flooded historic home with only the clothes they stood up in.
Barbara Vanvalen said while she and her family had experienced other major storms during their 30 years in the Hunter region, they were taken by surprise at how quickly the flood waters rose.
“In half an hour, there was six feet of water in the house. We were monitoring the nearby creek and it wasn’t rising very much, so we were shocked when the house started to flood.”
Barbara’s husband Peter has mobility difficulties and the couple feel lucky to have survived. “If our son and grandsons hadn’t been staying with us, we couldn’t have got upstairs to the third floor, which was the only part of the house that didn’t flood.”
Standing out on the top verandah, the families cries for help brought an SES boat to the rescue. Due to the speed of the flooding, the family was able to save very little. Their losses included Peter’s hearing aids and medical equipment. Barbara’s wedding ring and her father’s war medals were recovered once the water receded.
To date Barbara and Peter have not been back in their home and are not sure what the future holds for the 135 year old building that was a bakery in a former life. It was not just the water that did damage, although it did cause the ceilings to collapse, but what was in it – sewerage and diesel from a nearby garage.
Barbara and Peter have been able to find a new home to rent in Dungog and see some silver lining in this tough time. “The community has been wonderfully supportive,” Ms Vanvalen said. “There were locals who worked tirelessly raising money to help through things like a donation shed. I love to sew and a family member gave me a sewing machine.”
However, after the shock of the storms wore off, it was the little things the Vanvalens realised they needed. “I was given a sewing machine and realised I didn’t have scissors,” Ms Vanvalen said. “At first you are so used to having all these small things that it takes a while to get used to the fact they are gone. You reach for them, but they aren’t there.
“The support from Beyond Bank and St Vincent De Paul let us replace those things we needed in order to get on with life – cake tins, saucepans, frying pans, rolling pins and even pyjamas. It was cold after the storms and something as simple as pyjamas became important because they helped us stay warm.
“I can’t begin to describe how grateful we are too everyone who helped us,” Ms Vanvalen said.
“Our hearts go out to everyone who was impacted in the storms,” Mr O’Brien said. “All the staff at Beyond Bank are pleased we could help families such as the Vanvalens in some small way.”