Testimonials
Some of our community members tell us what they think of our work.
Repair to Return delivers for Teresa
Like so many in the Northern Rivers, Teresa and her family had been through floods before. The 2017 event saw the ground floor of their house submerged, but in 2022 the waters reached within a couple of feet of their upstairs ceiling. Having just renovated, they watched as the waters undid the work and washed away their furniture and other possessions.
“We’d never been flooded upstairs before. The water came up to over our heads – not that we were in the water over our heads, we were on the verandah roof – but it was up to our ankles before we got out,” she recalled.
“We were up there with myself, my daughter and a two-year-old, and the old lady from next door. She had to swim from her house to our house. There were Christmas lights on the balcony, so we took off the cord and threw it over to her and she came across here.
“Because we were renovating, we had our stepladder up here so we could get onto the verandah roof, and then we just watched all our furniture and everything float away, sitting in the rain.”
Teresa’s is a notable example of Resilient Lismore’s Repair to Return team working with the community with what they have and can do themselves.
“This is our family home. My daughter lives here with her three children aged 3, 9 and 11 with another on the way. Having only a temporary laundry and kitchen downstairs when they live upstairs was stressful,” she said.
Teresa and her family fixed their timber floors and re-sheeted the walls themselves but required Resilient Lismore’s assistance with installing the kitchen and laundry cabinets. They had the basic frame in place, and we supplied trades to install the laundry and kitchen cabinets and a plumber to fit-off. Teresa paid her own electrician to install the laundry switches and kitchen appliances.
“We had just finished renovating the laundry before the flood. We had all the cabinetry, and it went in the flood - $10,000 worth of Ikea. But now we’ve got it, which is great. We did get a good insurance pay-out, but the bank made us pay off the mortgage. There was money left over to fix up the house but then it just ran out. So, getting this finished was a huge bonus,” she said.
“It’s heaps better than before the flood, actually. We put FC (fibre cement) sheeting on the walls, re-did the ceiling, did the walls, did all the rustic stuff. Every inch of it was re-done or re-painted at least.
“Now we can cook. Lorraine (Teresa’s daughter) is a baker, so she cooks things for the kids’ lunchboxes. It’s made a huge difference, because downstairs was just a little semi-kitchen.”
The work done has increased their buyback value by about six percent. Once they get some land as part of the Resilient Lands program, they will look to relocate the house. Teresa has done that before with another house and looks forward to moving their family home out of the flood zone.
If you need help with repairs, please reach out to our Repair to Return team.
Teresa in the new family kitchen.
And the laundry.
The family re-sheeted the walls themselves.
Meet Rod & Margaret
Living across the road from the Richmond River, Rod and Margaret Waters were on the front line of the 2022 flood. At the peak of the flood the bottom floor of their two-storey home was completely underwater, and the flood waters licked at the top step at the entranceway to their second storey.
“We were in the house. We woke up at about six o’clock and the water was at the second or third step. By three o’clock in the afternoon it was up over the top step,” Rod said.
“One of our nephews and our granddaughter's husband came two or three times to tell us we had to go but Marg wouldn’t leave. The water was that far up, coming over the railing, up the stairs that they said ‘we’ll get the police’, and she said, ‘well, get the police’!”
“I said I don’t want to leave, I want to stay and lift things up as it comes in!” Marg said.
The couple eventually had to get out, jumping into a rescue boat that they reached from their upstairs balcony, such was the water's height. They stayed with friends for a couple of days before moving back upstairs as soon as they could.
Rod has health issues that will soon prevent him from getting upstairs. Their plan was to live in the downstairs area, which is why Rod said they were “so grateful” that Resilient Lismore’s Repair to Return team could help make the ground floor liveable again.
As well as cleaning up, the Repair to Return team hung three internal doors, one external laundry door and trim, and two entrance doors. They installed a new vanity unit and toilet in their downstairs bathroom, repaired the shower rose and taps, installed a new shower rail and curtain, attached gyprock sheeting on the ceiling in the hallway, laundry, and main downstairs room, and had an electrician install six downlights in the downstairs living area.
A plasterer installed the cornice and set all joins in the ceiling.
“The whole place was an absolute mess (after the flood),” Rod said.
“The team were brilliant, they really were. Nice girls and they got stuck into it. They worked as a team too. They all knew what they were doing,” he said.
“They were good. They were right into it,” added Marg.
The Waters missed out on NSW government funding and were referred to Resilient Lismore by the Mid-Richmond Neighbourhood Centre.
“Next thing we know we had (Repair to Return project manager) Grant coming down, and a plumber and an electrician as well,” Rod said.
“They put two new doors on for us and it's gone from there.
“We’re so grateful.”
Rod and Margaret Waters after being rescued from the second storey of their Woodburn home.
Above and below: havoc wrought by the flood
Anne thrilled with repairs
We don’t do what we do for the kudos, we do it for our community. But it’s nice sometimes to hear we are making a difference in people’s lives.
Anne and Chris Corkill needed assistance installing a bathroom vanity, replacing a shower rose, replacing their kitchen sink mixer, assembly of flat pack wardrobes, preparation and painting of water-affected walls, and the replacement of two stumps under their house.
Our project manager Grant Huggins and the team went to work, engaging a plumber to install the bathroom vanity and a builder for the restumping, undertaking the rest of the work themselves.
A week after our first site inspection the job was complete, much to the joy of Anne and Chris.
“Grant Huggins has done a great job with organising assistance to get our home back in order following the February 2022 flood,” Anne told us.
“They were such gentlemen, and so kind.”
The new wardrobes meant Anne and Chris were able to pass their old shelving on to a single mother in need.
“I wanted to express our deepest gratitude for all the work you’ve organised, and to the mighty team who’ve been so excellent in getting all the work completed so well and so quickly! Thank you doesn’t really cut it. You have changed our lives for the better. We’re really feeling very fortunate and so incredibly grateful to you all,” Anne said.
“It’s fabulous, the whole thing. We’re just so thrilled that Resilient Lismore made it happen, and it’s so inspiring.”
You’re very welcome, Anne.
If you are need of help to repair your flood damaged home or need any help regarding recovery from the 2022 disaster, reach out and see what we can do for you.
From John, Swan Bay:
“We had the pleasure of meeting Felipe from Resilient Lismore about four weeks ago when he came to my mother’s house in Swan Bay near Woodburn. From the outset Felipe was very engaging, understanding and extremely helpful as he discussed the possible ways Resilient Lismore could help with the rebuilding of my mother’s home.
”After that initial meeting Felipe continued to provide updates on the progress and in less than two weeks he had organised 25 sheets of plasterboard sheeting and for these to be delivered to site., which have been used to re-line the walls of my Mum’s home.”
From Chrissy in Woodburn:
"I'm sitting here on the couch with Lynette enjoying a celebratory bevvy thanks to you guys making me feel like anything is possible again!!!!! I seriously can't thank you enough! You've inspired me and given me hope again.
And yes it was an awesome day. Bestest one ever in a long time.....thanks to you guys xxxoxxx"
From Wayne in South Lismore:
I'd like to provide some feedback regarding Resilient Lismore and the fine work that is still being carried out on affected properties, long after the flood event at Lismore. A mighty mighty effort.
Happy to say. that the boys installed a stove. hot water and vanity and fixed my toilet last Friday. They really did an awesome job, as did Arron and his offsiders who sorted the electricity plus installed some much needed fixtures that were flood effected.
Grant and his teams have ' blown me away' at what they have managed to achieve here, and i'll be forever grateful.
I've found the whole process to be transformative and it has changed the way I feel about living here post flood. I go forward now with much more vigar !
I'd also like to say what a pleasure it has been dealing with Grant and all his helpers who truly have the biggest hearts.
From Marian:
WOW
This is a little note of deeply sincere appreciation to your extremely generous benefactor, and all those down the line helping.
I have like so many others been pushing against weariness and financial strain with the clean up set up get up of the floods.
To have help actually turn up listen enquire offer help restore repair and in good time with few hoops few forms twas truly truly wonderful.
It does restore the heart, and makes me feel so thankful.
THANKYOU ALL SO VERY VERY MUCH A LITTLE KINDNESS GOES SUCH A LONG WAY WHEN IT TOUCHES THE TIRED HEART.
Nigel in Woodburn:
Nigel Boyce from Woodburn was one of the heroes of the 2022 flood, rescuing 15 families from the rising water.
The single father and his teenage son registered for help with Resilient Lismore, having exhausted most of his finances repairing what he could of his uninsured home. He had used his Back To Home grant to sheet the internal walls, and make the downstairs liveable, and had organised his own kitchen.
Our team, with the help of the Samaritan’s Purse group of volunteers, helped him rebuild his bathroom and other parts of his house, with a new vanity from our friends at Reece, new toilet, new internal doors, architraves and skirting, a repaired rear deck and stair landing complete with handrails. Nightcap Electrical connected his stove and handled a couple of other small jobs, and Nigel and his son are now back in their home.
“I would like to thank everyone who came together and helped finish off my home,” Nigel told us.
“Without your support, donations and teamwork I would still be struggling to repair my veranda, hang doors and trim and paint them, buy a vanity and toilet and install them.
“But now thanks to all of you lovely people helping and supporting us my family and I are now able sit back, relax and stress less, and enjoy our home again. Thank you.”