As the Hawkesbury River burst her banks last week, homes and businesses were inundated with water, leaving families displaced and business owners scrambling to save what they can of the company they’ve invested their lives into so heavily.
These business owners carry not only the weight of keeping the business together but also the multiple families who rely on them as employers as well as clients whose needs continue to shift and change.
When the Hawkesbury Valley Way basin began to fill to unprecedented levels, business owners occupying the Mulgrave factory units flocked to their units, determined to do what they could to keep their business above water.
And though we don’t yet know the extent of the damages, it’s been heartwarming to see the community come out in droves to help one another.
When Limcora business owners Alex Nelson and Evan Graham realised that their Mulgrave unit was under threat, they knew they needed to act right away. With Evan and his family stranded up the coast, with no way of returning, Alex raced home from Mudgee on Monday. “I first became aware of how bad things were getting when I received a call from friends in Pitt Town,” he said. “We knew that the office at Mulgrave would be at risk, so we made sure that all equipment was upstairs in case the floods got any higher. It was the craziest day I have ever experienced.”
Roads were closing and the water levels were rapidly rising. The community pulled together, to make sure businesses and homes were as safe as possible. “The Hawkesbury is such a tight knit community,” Alex said. “It was like everyone just banded together and helped out where they could it was so good to see. The amount of support and phone calls I received from not only family but from suppliers, builders and clients making sure we were ok, blew me away.”
Construction supplier Austec, helped by helping construction projects continue, despite flooding. “With flood waters stopping us from getting any material out of our yard Simon Ziarkowski hand delivered a truck load of stock to one of our sites so we can continue to work. It’s so good to know that our suppliers will go to great lengths to help in times of need.”
It’s amazing to see community spirit, during such trying times.
