“It’s a very community-minded rugby club and in situations like this, the community just needs boots on the ground to help prepare. It’s great to be able to contribute in this way, even though you always feel like you could be doing more,” said Sam Devine, a Port Macquarie-based Regional and Agribusiness Relationship Executive with CommBank.
Sam, who joined the Pirates when he moved north from Sydney three years ago, added: “For now, the clean-up is the immediate focus for people and businesses but this could take months.
“A team of rugby players can come and clean out a house in a day, while it could take a household weeks to do something like that, so it’s great to feel helpful and do something so hands on when people are in need. In terrible times, there is a great sense of community spirit that shines through.”
It’s just not the towns and villages of the region who suffered hugely from the floods. Dozens of farming communities and related industries have also been devastated with livelihoods and tight-knit neighbourhoods facing months if not years of recovery.
“It’s really gutting to see how the flood has destroyed property and livestock, one customer will lose over 70 head of cattle from this and many homes have been ruined,” said Chris Cook, a Regional and Agribusiness Relationship Executive based in Coffs Harbour who supports customers in Taree and Kempsey, areas that experienced some of the most severe flooding.
“You really get a sense of the enormity of what’s happened when you go to the farms and while we’re no strangers to flooding in the region, it is by far the worst natural disaster I have ever seen.”
As well as providing support and guidance on how to access assistance measures, it’s been simple offers of help that have meant just as much to those communities.
Chris’s wife Charlie has been making home-cooked meals for the farmers that Chris has been visiting to see what can be done for his customers.
“Farmers so are so pre-occupied with the clean up now, they really appreciate having a helping hand and a warm meal that can be easily heated in a microwave,” added Chris.
“Many of our customers are still in a state of shock so it’s important for us to do what we can to help - not just as a bank but as people who care. For now, it’s still too early to quantify the damage but it’s really important for us to let customers know about the support available and simply just be there for them.”
Amid the devastation, it was heartening for Chris to see of one farming customer who managed to escape the worst of the terrible floodwaters. The dairy farm built a new feed pad on higher ground that meant their cows were elevated above the rising water levels. “If it weren’t for the pad, they could have lost their entire herd,” Chris said.
