Three north-east Victorian tradies spent their long weekend volunteering to help with recovery efforts at flood-affected Woodburn in New South Wales.
Key points:
- Recent flooding has devastated the small town of Woodburn, NSW
- Flood levels reached a record-breaking 7.17 metres
- Three border tradies gathered supplies and made the 30-hour round trip to volunteer their assistance with clean-up
Plumber Josh Lieschke, plasterer Ethan O’Donnell, and carpenter Jack Di Mizio filled a trailer with supplies and made the 2,600-kilometre return trip from Wodonga on the NSW-Victorian border.
Mr Lieschke said the trio was shocked by the destruction left by the floods only weeks earlier.
“You nearly couldn’t believe it … It was pretty surreal,” he said.
“All the houses, everything had been gutted. There were just piles of rubbish everywhere.
“It was just all mud. The smell was terrible, it was nearly unbearable.”
Record-breaking flood
The small town of about 750 people, about 35km south of Lismore, along the Richmond River, was not ready for the downpour that hit.
The community was ordered to evacuate before, in a matter of days, water levels reached 7.17 metres, smashing the previous record flood height of 5.43 metres in 1954.
“It’s just crazy the level that the water had come up, especially in Woodburn. There would have only been rooftops showing,” Mr Di Mizio said.
“It’s a pretty flat area, you’ve got crops as far as you can see and the water was up to second-storey roof levels.
“It’s just hard to comprehend what it would have looked like at the time. It pretty much just ruined everything.”
All hands on deck
The cost of fuel was donated by Mr Lieschke’s employer, Wade Smith, while Mr O’Donnell’s family gathered supplies that the community was in need of, such as toothbrushes and deodorants.
“Mum and my sisters put a heap of packs together with toiletries and basic medical supplies,” Mr O’Donnell said.
“We just wanted to help out where we could.”
After delivering the packs for distribution, the boys went from door to door offering their services.
They said there was no shortage of help, with up to 10 volunteers inside each house.
“They didn’t really have use for specific trades just yet, it was more just clean-up,” Mr Lieschke said.
“The army had come in [a few days earlier] and helped demolish everything and pile everything out the front.
“Now there are just big excavators and trucks cleaning everything up [and] trying to get rid of everything.”
Mr Di Mizio said the residents were understandably flat but grateful for any assistance.
“We were trying to have a laugh with them and make it easier for them where we could,” he said.
The road to recovery is only beginning for the small town which has a mammoth task ahead.
“We were able to help out so thought it was just the Aussie thing to do,” Mr Lieschke said.
