DIARY OF A FLOOD SURVIVOR

one, but never expected it to happen to us. We might win $1,000 on Keno here and there, but not $1 million!

“Things like this don’t usually happen to folks like us.

“We’re not too sure what we will do with the money, but we know it will go a long way.”

Evans Head Newsagency owner Jasmine McKenna told The Lott they were excited for their local winner, especially after last year’s natural disaster.

“It has already created such a buzz with our customers and has certainly increased the curiosity as to who the fortunate winner is,” she said.

“This is our first division one winner since we purchased the business nine years ago, and we’re so pleased. There’s no doubt it will be the start of a winning streak!”

Before the flood, our house was a veritable stopover place for friends and family. With many of our loved ones living in Sydney, it was not unusual to have visitors staying over from a weekend up to a week or more at any one time.

We loved it. Especially when our son moved away. He would come home often with friends in tow and we always find the space for them.

When friends staying elsewhere in 2021 were in danger of being flooded in, we were able to provide beds, where our bottom floor became one big mattress. We were always entertaining with dinners and barbeques for groups of friends and Christmas parties every year. Some of that has come back, as we held drinks last Christmas Eve, just to prove we could still show hospitality in our newly renovated home. People had to bring their own chairs and glasses, but we did it. We have to warn friends and family now who are travelling through, that we no longer have a spare room as our downstairs has minimal internal walls and no ceiling. The spare room is now a store room of all the items we saved from the flood that we haven’t found homes for yet.

We did manage to get a spare bed, which is what we set up for our son when he comes home, but it is in the open area downstairs with minimal privacy. We continue striving to make a homely place for visitors again. Little steps.