Lismore CBD Magazine March 2022 "Flood Feature" Vol.2 No.9 by JWT Publishing

LISMORE CBD MAGAZINE

COVER

MARCH ISSUE 2022 Vol.2 No.9

FLOOD FEATURE WEEKLY

Shannon Hudson, Arsenio "Sunny Galva and Dan Nicholl

Community Heroes www.jwtpublishing.com.au

FREE e-magazine ISSUU/JWT PUBLISHING

Catastrophic Floods Lismore

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Donate to Lismore's official Flood Fund Lismore City Council has established a Flood Fund to assist victims of the flood. This is the official Flood Fund for Lismore that can be found on our website www.lismore.nsw.gov.au Council has become aware that numerous people have established GoFundMe campaigns to help flood victims. While many of these have been set up with the best of intentions, Council can not verify donated monies will be used to help flood victims. To ensure donations reach the people they are intended for, and that you do not become a victim of a scam, we ask everyone to only donate to the official Lismore Flood Fund. To donate to the Lismore Flood Fund, you can send a direct bank transfer to the following details: Name:

Lismore City Council - Flood Appeal Account BSB: 062 565 Account: 10864633

Council is accepting donations for the purpose of disaster recovery and community support arising from the current Lismore flooding disaster. In making a donation, you acknowledge that Council retains full discretion as to how any and all donated funds are used, which may include distributing funds to other organisations or persons for those organisations to use and distribute as they determine. Council has no obligation to enforce any use of funds by a third party.

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DONATE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

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We are back to our normal monthly flow with our next issue out April 2022. www.jwtpublishing.com.au

Lismore CBD Magazine E| jwt@jwtpublishing.com.au

John Tozeland BUNDJALUNG NATION JWT Publishing acknowledges the traditional custodians of the Bundjalung nation, the Wahlabul people, and pays respect to the Elders past, present and emerging.

We recognise this land was never ceded and acknowledge the continuation of culture and connection to land, sky and sea. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First Peoples and honour the rich diversity of the world’s oldest living culture.

April Deadline: Friday, March 25th

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LISMORE PIE CART NOW Operating from 80 Dally Street East Lismore from 8am - 2pm

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USEFUL CONTACTS Authority

In life-threatening emergencies phone 000 Agency

NSW SES For people and/or property at risk NSW Police For non-life threatening emergencies or incidents Crimestoppers To report crime Essential Energy For loss of power, electricity problems or fallen powerlines Bureau of Meteorology Forecasts, weather observations and warnings Lifeline Crisis support and suicide prevention Northern Rivers Community Gateway Trauma support, material and financial aid Women’s Health and Resource Centre Women’s services Men and Family Centre Men’s services Interrelate Family Services Family support services Jullum’s Medical Service Aboriginal services Social Futures General support services House with No Steps Disability services ACON LGBTIQ+ services Tenants Advice and Legal Service Tenancy legal advice

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Lismore City Council Contact Us Phone: (02) 6625 0500 43 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah NSW 2480. Australia

LISMORE FLOOD RECOVERY

It hard to put into words what happened today in Lismore and the surrounds. If you need to talk, we're here to listen. And if you don't want to talk, you can text us too. All our Lismore shops and offices are underwater, but we're still available 24/7 on our national crisis lines. LISMORE

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Anthony Albanese visits Lismore and makes his way through the streets to meet the locals affected by the February Floods

Anthony Albanese says the red-hot anger of flood-ravaged communities extends beyond the late deployment of assistance, using the trip to the Northern NSW town of Lismore to question why Scott Morrison needed "days and days" to declare a national emergency.

Many people in Lismore who lost everything in the floods are helping out with the cleanup. I spoke to locals and volunteers this morning with Janelle Saffin, Murray Watt and Patrick Deegan. While businesses and homes have been gutted, the community has united and rallied together.

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Residents in flooded Australian regional city condemn lack of government help Two weeks after life-threatening floodwaters swamped thousands of homes in the early hours of February 28 with little or no official warning, residents of the northern New South Wales regional city of Lismore say governments have left them living in something like a “war zone.” Streets throughout the city’s lower-level neighbourhoods, on both sides of the Wilson River, are lined with tons of rotting debris, itself a health hazard, with little prospect of removal for weeks. In that debris, many people have lost everything, even family photos and personal documents.

In a population of 44,000, some 14,000 homes were engulfed. An estimated two-thirds need to be demolished or undergo substantial repairs. At least four people were killed. A WSWS reporting team spoke to people trying to clean out their ruined homes, while still facing months of living in temporary accommodation. Some were staying with friends or relatives. Others were camped in the city’s crowded evacuation centre—where there has been a COVID-19 outbreak—or even sleeping in cars or tents. World Socialist Web Site

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McKenzie Street, Lismore

There was simmering anger at the delayed and inadequate response of the federal and state governments, on top of the failure of the same governments to protect them from the disaster in the first place. Everyone knew someone who had died as a result. Three days before the deadly flooding began, despite warnings of a looming rain deluge, the state government’s Special Emergency Services (SES), which had only two boats in the city, refused to call in urgent resources, including rescue helicopters and army units. If not for the often-heroic rescue efforts and ongoing help and support of volunteers from throughout the region and across the country, trying to fill the void left by governments, hundreds of people would probably have died and the plight of the survivors would be much worse.

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Everywhere our team went, there was a visible contrast between the indifferent and slow response of governments, and the speed and generosity of neighbours, local people and volunteers, who drove from as far as Melbourne, 1,600 kilometres away. Even as we interviewed people, cars drove down streets offering food or assistance. One man, a member of a hundreds-strong support group that sprang up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, arrived to offer a high-pressure gurney to hose out a muddy house.

Fraught residents told harrowing stories of being engulfed by surging water in the middle of the night, and being rescued by volunteers in boats and kayaks, with the SES nowhere to be seen. Tammy, a mother and grandmother, was shovelling out mud in front of her rented home in South Lismore, helped by her sister, who was operating a gurney, and a neighbour, who had supplied a generator to power the gurney.

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Tammy in front of the remains of her belongings Tammy’s house is raised well above ground level, yet the flood reached window height, leaving her trapped in waist-deep water for more than six hours before volunteers freed her. “We got rescued out of my front bedroom window when we could not kick down the door. It was totally stuck. We did have an evacuation truck come past about midnight but because the previous floods have been nothing like this, we just thought we would be cut off from town for a few days, and we had everything we needed, so we would be OK. “We had no thought that the water would come so high. It was six in the morning when my neighbour rang me and said the water was about to come in my house. I looked out and saw that the water had already lapped up 15 steps.

“We got rescued at 1.30 in the afternoon by boat by community members. Boats were coming before that, but I told them to rescue a family and elderly people in the street first. We were ducking power lines as we were being boated out, that’s how high the water was!” Tammy said people were stuck in like sardines in a nearby school before being boated out and then bussed to a makeshift evacuation centre at the Goonellabah Sports and Aquatic Centre (GSAC). Later, GSAC was closed and she was moved to the sole remaining evacuation centre at the Southern Cross University campus. Residents were told that council or SES workers could not come onto their properties, so they had to clear out everything onto the street themselves. But the community help had been “awesome.”

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“Some guys I don’t know came along with a wheelbarrow yesterday. Someone came with a backhoe today. We have had beautiful people coming from so far away to help or give us sandwiches or blankets and pillows. We also had a food truck come up from Melbourne.” The evacuation centre at the university was “horrible” because there were “way too many people” and it was not being cleaned often enough. At least 100 people were camped in a basketball court, and probably 400 in other sections or outside, including previously homeless people. “We had a massive homeless problem here, even before the flood,” Tammy commented. “They will have nowhere to go after this. That worries me. So many houses now have tape around them.” Tammy explained that the city levee, which was swamped by floodwaters for the second time in five years, did not protect the people in South Lismore at all. In fact, by being erected around the central business district, the levee made floods worse for her neighbourhood. “We are living in a floodplain, so we should know we will have floods but today, because it costs so much to get a house, this is where people are going to be able to afford. It takes you a couple of generations to afford a house now. I’m never going to be able to afford that for my kids. “It’s a hard pill to swallow to know that I have nowhere to go, and I can’t do anything about it. My landlord came and had a look and said it would be 12 months before he could rent the house again… My children and grandchildren were not living here anymore, but they had left lots of their personal things here.”

Tammy said politicians were fighting between themselves, blaming each other, while people needed help. She had gone to a protest, joined by about 300 people, when Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrived for a brief visit last Thursday, protected by more than 100 police. LISMORE

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“Morrison came here on Thursday and wouldn’t talk to us. He wouldn’t even show his face. He took the press conference from inside the council chamber, while we had ladies outside screaming, ‘We need help.’ I got videos of it. “The police lined us all up and made a fence so we couldn’t get any closer while he got out of the car and ran inside… We heard later that he had banned the media because he doesn’t want the world to see it like it really is… Everybody around the world sees this, but they don’t really know what is going on.

“We were chanting, ‘It’s raining, it’s pouring, the PM is snoring,’ ‘Hey hey, hey ho, Scott Morrison’s got to go’ and ‘We need housing, we need hoses.’ “He can’t come here offering thoughts and prayers and handshakes! What we were saying is that we want him to open his wallet, and even that is not enough. The money is nothing if we don’t have the help. What is it now? Two weeks after the flood!”

Tammy was scathing of the decision by Premier Dominic Perrottet’s Liberal-National state government to send 120 mobile homes to Casino, a town 30 kilometres west of Lismore, to house flood victims. “That won’t be enough! No way. There are so many people couch-surfing or living in other temporary accommodation. And people will be sent to Casino, where they have no connections.” Tammy said community groups were organising but their requests would only fall on deaf ears. Asked for her political reflection on the disaster, she said: “I just think that the government is sending money overseas, but look here, a bomb’s gone off here too… I know Morrison’s putting a lot more money into the military but it should be his responsibility to get into this fight here.”

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Scott Morrison circus fails to impress Lismore, a town that has lost everything. Banning media from his official floodaffected visit, eventually fronting the awaiting media at the end of his tour.

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LISMORE FLOODS 2022

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There was a lot of anticipation before Scott Morrison's press conference in Lismore. Scott Morrison was late to his first public appearance in Lismore. Very late. In a way it was reflective of how people in northern New South Wales feel about the official response to the flooding crisis that has ravaged their region — they've had to wait, and wait, and wait. There was plenty of anticipation surrounding the Prime Minister's visit to the Lismore City Council Chambers on Wednesday. Outside the council chambers about 100 protesters chanted loudly, while a large media contingent waited for more than 90 minutes inside. Scott Morrison had been delayed by private meetings with flood victims and official briefings. A local helicopter pilot seized the moment to be heard. Rich Latimer introduced himself to the media and said the community had a message. He went on to speak for six minutes. "We need a lot less resistance between us and the agencies," he said. "Drop the narrative and message of the us-and-them and the polarisation, which is hard with what we've been through."

That Mr Latimer filled the vacuum left by Mr Morrison's delay added an exclamation point to what many in NSW's Northern Rivers region say has been happening since the devastating floods — community members have stepped in when the government and other agencies are nowhere to be seen. It's been well documented that as the water rose in towns around NSW's north, it was locals in their private boats who saved the majority of people, not the emergency services. Desperate calls to triple-0 and the State Emergency Service (SES) either went unanswered or were placed in a queue. Then, when the water began to subside, the government response was chaotic and fell far short of what was needed. There have been food and fuel supply issues in the area, and, initially, very little help when it came to the clean-up. The state government seemed to take charge last Saturday – five days after the floods struck – when NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke visited the area and said her administration had asked for the Australian Defence Force to assist. "We asked for everything they could give us," she said. "Today they've increased that offer to 5,000 [personnel] and we've said we'll take every one of those as well." But on Monday there were only 275 ADF personnel on the ground in Lismore.

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LISMORE FLOODS 2022

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Too little too late – a tale of disaster What makes the floods in NSW and QLD even more devastating is that governments knew they were coming and did very little to prepare, writes David Crosbie, who argues it is time charities and community groups were placed at the centre of resilience and recovery.

Emergency Management Australia is within the Department of Home Affairs. Its website states: “We lead the Australian government disaster and emergency management response. We work to build a disaster resilient Australia that prepares and responds to disasters and emergencies.” Tens of thousands of Australians are now homeless; many more are suffering. More than 20 lives have been lost. The floods in NSW and QLD have been devastating for individuals, families, workplaces, and communities. What makes them even more devastating is that governments knew they were coming and did very little to prepare. Last weekend CCA was contacted by people desperate for help. We did what we could. CCA chair Tim Costello directly contacted senior government ministers alerting them to what was happening in the disaster areas and directly connecting them to people on the ground. Invariably the government response was too little too late. On 13 October last year I attended a briefing hosted by Emergency Management Australia (EMA) on the upcoming disaster season. It was called a Preparedness Briefing. We were told the briefing would provide an understanding across the emergency management spectrum of the risks and preparedness for the upcoming high risk weather season. The agenda for this meeting included: detailed meteorological and climatic outlook summary of observations, responses and contributions from the Commonwealth for the 2020-2021 season updates to the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework updates to “enhanced” Emergency Management Australia formation and function of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency and the Australian Climate Service Commonwealth response arrangements Crisis Appreciation and Strategic Planning initiatives defence / DACC update arisis weather scenario to stimulate discussion

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Too little too late – a tale of disaster While this was a closed Department of Home Affairs invitation only meeting, I can say that a map was provided by weather experts outlining where disastrous floods would probably occur in the upcoming high-risk season. This map proved to be remarkably accurate in predicting the flood events that have unfolded over the past week. We know that governments, insurance agencies, and defence forces have all had access to this information. They knew there was a very high probability of flooding occurring this year and where it would most likely impact.

Many local individuals and communities have provided critical shelter when access to emergency shelters (usually set up by local councils) was very limited. Power, fuel and emergency transport need to be secured in any disaster. Again, in the floods these critical elements were not available. Locals pitched together to get helicopters and boats to people in need, enabling them to rescue more than 2,000 people.

In any emergency response there are some key essentials, and most can be planned for in advance. There needs to be a way of communicating with people. Most people rely on mobile phones. Building disaster resilient phone systems is critical to warning, rescuing and supporting people. For people in the floods, their risk was often compounded by the lack of workable communication Defence options. Food, water and shelter are essential. Having ways to provide safe food and water across multiple isolated homes and communities is critical in any emergency response. While many communities took on this challenge over the past week, including some local heroes and committed charities, there were few supports from government to meet these needs.

Minister Peter Dutton has defended the government’s response, in part by deflecting criticism of the government as criticism of serving ADF personnel: “I’m not going to cop criticism of the ADF,” he said. “They have looked at the situation on the ground, they’re responding, they’re bringing vehicles in, they rescued 113 people who otherwise would have drowned.”

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Too little too late – a tale of disaster

Reports into disasters across Australia have repeatedly highlighted the need for immediate access to appropriate financial and other support. Talking with people who have applied for support during these floods, the process for making a claim was, at best, both time consuming and burdensome. What this disaster highlights is that governments have again failed to adequately plan, prevent or mitigate the dangers associated with what we know will be increasing levels of storms, fires and floods across Australia.

Knowing there was a very high probability of floods in Lismore and elsewhere, why were no preparations made? The cost of preparing communities properly would be high, but it would be a fraction of the disaster recovery bill. I have repeatedly asked the National Recovery and Resilience Agency about their investment in resilience and prevention. They agree they need to invest more in this area, and yet the resilience component of their work currently amounts to around 3 per cent of their total expenditure. This is woefully inadequate. Governments have failed on climate change, and are failing on dealing with consequences of climate change. Australians are not being kept safe by their governments.

From a charity perspective, these failures of government place a massive burden on many large and small organisations, desperately trying to fill the yawning chasm of emergency need created by government failure. All too often, the infrastructure charities themselves rely on is not available. Phones, food and water, fuel, shelter, power, emergency transport, access to financial support, healthcare, animal welfare, counselling, childcare, workable disaster registration processes, clear emergency management and recovery processes, we know what is needed, but our governments have refused to put the appropriate measures in place.

It is time charities and community groups were placed at the centre of resilience and recovery. We know that it is people working together in their local community that best facilitate both prevention and recovery. So why are we not investing in bringing local people together to plan for natural disasters before they happen? How is critical community infrastructure going to be protected as the intensity of natural disasters increases? Where is the recovery team in each community? The very least Australians should now expect is that next time there is a well-informed warning about increased disaster risk, locally informed preparation and resilience measures will be put in place. Anything less would border on criminal neglect.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison inspects flood damage at the Norco Ice Cream Factory in Lismore.

Image [Dave Hunt/EPA-EFE]

A Sky News investigation has revealed the New South Wales government has failed to introduce a revolutionary communications technology across all its disaster response agencies. NSW government failed to introduce life-saving disaster response technology... The investigation shows the government has been aware of the technology for at least eight years and rolled it out to Rural Fire Service in 2019. It has not been passed onto to all agencies despite the brief of the NSW Resilience Commission to work closely with the RFS and SES to minimise the impact of bushfires and floods – such as the Lismore disaster. Although Resilience NSW Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons oversaw the introduction of the technology into the RFS, he was unable to recall it when asked. Developer Kathleen Kenny says she would like to see her technology deployed in the SES and it would be a “quick win” for the government if they were to roll it out. “It is frustrating, we’re talking about something that saves time, money and lives,” she told Sky News Australia.

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The Project host Waleed Aly has condemned Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his response to the devastating New South Wales and Queensland floods. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Waleed said ScoMo's comment while touring flood-ravaged Lismore that it was “just an obvious fact that Australia is getting hard to live in because of these disasters” was an “astonishing admission”. “It glosses over the decades we’ve wasted in this country disputing the reality of climate change,” Aly wrote. “Here, Morrison is speaking an important truth. It’s just that it has come a decade late, and only once political realities had nudged the Coalition sufficiently that it felt compelled to adopt a net zero target.”

Aly argued that the comment captures the “most confounding quirk” of this government, which is not that “it is almost always wrong”. “It’s that it is often right, but only after refusing to be for so long, and for no apparent reason,” he wrote.

Waleed believes the government's actions over the past two years have exposed this trait, citing the slowness to build dedicated Covid19 quarantine facilities and delays with the vaccine rollout. “Now, Morrison’s big announcement is to declare the current floods in NSW and Queensland a national emergency, but to do it some nine days into the catastrophe,” he said.

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Waleed believes the government's actions over the past two years have exposed this trait, citing the slowness to build dedicated Covid-19 quarantine facilities and delays with the vaccine rollout. “Now, Morrison’s big announcement is to declare the current floods in NSW and Queensland a national emergency, but to do it some nine days into the catastrophe,” he said. “The Australian assumption is that when something’s important, the government will be there to do what’s necessary. And what could be more important than a natural disaster? In a country like that, and in a moment like this, the things a government cannot be is sluggish or absent.” During a tour of flood-ravaged Lismore, Scott Morrison was forced to defend his actions and the government's lacklustre response.

“Here, Morrison is speaking an important truth. It’s just that it has come a decade late, and only once political realities had nudged the Coalition sufficiently that it felt compelled to adopt a net zero target.”

He said, “What we’re dealing with here is an extraordinary event. Australia’s becoming a harder country to live in because of these natural disasters. It’s just an obvious fact.”

Aly argued that the comment captures the “most confounding quirk” of this government, which is not that “it is almost always wrong”.

He added that the government recognises the impact of climate change on disasters and pointed to actions taken to address it.

“It’s that it is often right, but only after refusing to be for so long, and for no apparent reason,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, outside the press conference venue, protesters lined the street with placards calling for further climate action.

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Lismore Police stop by at the Relief Centre at Quality Used Furniture along Wyrallah Road, East Lismore to congratulate such an outstanding effort being made for Shannon Hudson, Arsenio "Sunny Galva and Dan Nicholl

Lismore locals.

If you are a member of the public who’s been affected by floods and need food, water, medical supplies and more, head to the warehouse at 51 Wyrallah Rd, Lismore to pick things up. Goods are flying out the door and coming in from community at a similar rate. LISMORE

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These two are Karen and Matt. They’re are Community Heroes and a good team - take it from us. They’ve turned Karen’s used furniture warehouse (from which she lost everything including income source) into a distribution centre for resources.

Matt and Karen Karen and Matt wanted me to pass on an enormous thanks to the extended community for all their help chipping in. Every act, large and small. LISMORE

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Matt George from Summit Sports Centre and Karen the business owner have committed such a remarkable good deed to help the Lismore community. Available for the community are food essentials, cleaning products, baby needs, toiletries, clothing and Shoes. with plenty of fresh drinking water - All Free for those affected by the Floods. Such heartwarming local heroes are giving back to the community thank you! Karen, Sunny, Matt and his team from Summit Sports Centre, and if you are able to volunteer they would love some help.

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SUMMIT SPORTS CENTRE

SUMMIT will return to normal business operations on Monday including resuming all group fitness classes (please see Summit App or website), PT, EMS and swim lessons and squads. We understand that the community has suffered greatly in the last two weeks and if required, we will time stop or cancel any memberships with no fees. SUMMIT plays a vital role in looking after people’s mental and physical well-being. We also recognise that these are uncertain times and it’s not the time to be locked in to any membership. Therefore we would like to extend our ‘No Contracts’ deal of $20 per week until further notice.

We are here for you. LISMORE

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LIVE MUSIC

Hotel Metropole Lismore

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$5 Cans & Tap Beers Open from 4pm-9pm Monday to Saturday 98 Keen St Lismore MARCH 14 2022 www.jwtpublishing.com.au

Recover Relax Revive PAGE 27

LIFELINE DISTRIBUTION CENTRE AT THE SHOWGROUNDS A Distribution Centre for donated goods has been established at the Lismore Showgrounds. Operated by Lifeline, community members can pick up items.

THE CENTRE WILL OPEN FROM 9AM UNTIL 4PM, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. Depending on availability, items include dry foods, bottled water, clothing, shoes, medical supplies, cleaning products, bedding, blankets, hygiene products and much more. The Distribution Centre is located on the eastern side of the Showgrounds. Residents are asked to follow the direction of Traffic Control.

Lifeline thanks the community for their generosity. We do not require donations from the community at the moment. If you are a warehouse/retailer and have bulk quantities of goods please make direct contact with Lifeline to discuss. LISMORE

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PHIL JAMIESON

Played with some friends at The Brightside Brisbane on Friday 11th March...

All money goes directly to the Lismore Flood Appeal. www.philjamieson.com.au

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Patrick Deegan Labor for Page Today I attended a community meeting in Lismore in response to the catastrophic flood. It was inspiring to see the community come together to express their views and work together for a way forward. The Northern River’s is a strong and resilient community, one foot in front of the other, recovery is possible, together and individually. LISMORE

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SG AT HOME IS OPENING!!! When:from 14/3 Mon-Sat 9am-4pm Where: 36 Acacia Avenue, Goonellabah 2480 What: Asian products dry, fresh, frozen Parking: on our drive way/on the street. PLEASE respect our neighborhood. DO NOT PARK ON LAWNS Cash and Eftpos available Contact: Facebook or sg.asianfood@gmail.com or sms: 0402328707 Thank you for your support. Please share and let your family&friends know LISMORE

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We are OPEN & fully stocked. We want our community to continue to eat fresh fruit & veg, so will be receiving regular daily deliveries. We appreciate your support during this difficult time, for many families including our own. Thank you for being patient & kind. LISMORE

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Locals supporting locals MARCH 14 2022 www.jwtpublishing.com.au

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Lismore CBD Magazine is supporting The Lismore Lantern Parade to re-establish this iconic event for Lismore. We're all in this together! And in the spirit of community, we wanted to feature an update on a beloved Lismore institution Lismore Lantern Parade! Sadly, like most of Lismore, the Lantern Parade was not immune to Mother Nature's force. The record flood height has impacted their space severely. Photos don't really do justice to the ruin downstairs. Waters reached over 1m into the upstairs workroom and storage facility. There is a LOT of damage to lanterns and equipment. We are not expecting miracles but we are hoping to save this wonderful asset to Lismore.

Images Courtesy of MEDIA-MODE. (www.facebook.com/MediaMode)

Details about Lismore Lantern Parade can be found on the following web addresses; www.lismorelanternparade.com.au www.facebook.com/LismoreLanternParade

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DONATE https://gofund.me/ce0d6720 PAGE 15

Despite the flood, Jyllie’s still smiling and is hopeful that the many, necessary repairs can be made - with the hope of being able to run the iconic (and everso popular) Lantern Parade again in 2022. But Jyllie needs help... It is LightnUp crew Jyllie (with a foot injury) Kathy and Brett with some wonderful volunteers attempting the mammoth clean up that Lismore is enduring. ALL of the Lanterns need to be moved out of the premises and temporarily relocated, so that the floors and walls can be cleaned, and all the irreparable items can be cleared out. There are 100s of lanterns, of all shapes and sizes… with nowhere else onsite for them to be stored. Space is of a premium right now in this region, so (if the weather would cooperate) the lanterns could be moved outside on to the street.

Images Courtesy of MEDIA-MODE. (www.facebook.com/MediaMode)

Small batch moves like this mean that partial cleans can take place!

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10am - 4pm

Fives Loaves in the Community with Volunteer Simone Thanks to all our helpers cleaning houses, organising helicopter deliveries, making donations, sorting donations and getting them where they are needed, making food, serving you are all a huge blessing! Lismore Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Our thoughts and prayers are with our Lismore community after the disastrous floods. We are currently operating at the Seventh Day Adventist flood Relief Centre 44 Uralba St, Lismore 10am to 4pm.

FIVE LOAVES Our regular service at the Transit centre will resume when possible. LISMORE

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Simone and Lena

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FREE Emergency Veterinary Assistance available

At the Department of Primary Industries (DPI)

1243 Bruxner Highway, Wollongbar

Ph: 0492 924 680 9am - 5pm

Fitness Manouvers. Kate Cairnduff

Kate, you’re an absolute legend! Kate’s got some big melons and has more food to gift and deliver!! Layla and I distributed a car load today. Why not come on down and help! Natalie McKenzie I have a studio at 139 Dawson Street. We have had a semi trailer drop food hampers, toiletries, milk, bread, fruit and water.

If you have a list of people who need drop off I can get my list of volunteers out and delivering. I'm trying not to create more lists because I know there are already so many. LISMORE

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Flood Recovery Centre

THE Harold Fredericks Carpark

Cr. Vanessa Ekins at Lismore Quadrangle.

www.floodnr.com.au

Resilient Lismore - Lismore Helping Hands Lismore, NSW

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We are at the Harold Fredericks carpark next to the Lismore Quadrangle! Services are here with us to help you! Come and check it out. MARCH 07 2022 www.jwtpublishing.com.au

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The Lismore community-run disaster response network, Resilient Lismore, is set to scale up its operations matching volunteers with the flood-affected seeking help. In readiness to launch its call centre, Resilient Lismore is directing volunteers to register online here: https://www.floodhelpnr.com.au Registered volunteers will then be directed to help those most in need. You can also use this link to register donations. If you have already registered with us you do not need to register again. LISMORE

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NBN Kookaburra Satellite Internet Service

Mayfield's Market Kitchen

Telstra Shop Support Truck

Services Australia Mobile Office

Orange Sky Laundry Trucks NAB Mobile ATM

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CBD MAGAZINE

Volunteer with a Free Meal from Mayfield's

Services and support now at the carpark on behind the Art Gallery. Social Futures mobile office Mobile Coffee Van Resilient Lismore with food hampers St Johns Ambulance Service John S Ling Building Group Mobile Office Splash Down Mobile Toilet and Shower Facilities. This site is powered so you can charge devices and connect to the internet. Power is provided with the help of Essential Energy and managed by Jackson's Technical Services. MARCH 14 2022 www.jwtpublishing.com.au

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I have just visited the Resilient Lismore people (the old Helping Hands group of 2017 flood, oh so many familiar faces) down at the Library car park, after a bit of a hick up they are up and running again. I was told you can register with them for work that needs to be done on line. For anyone having internet problem (like myself) if you can go down there they should be able to help you out. I was told that the showgrounds will be open soon, for clothing and household donations like last time also. The SES also has a van there, food vans, grocery tables, internet services. Linda White LISMORE

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Resilient Lismore co-ordinator Elly Bird spoke to Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies on The Morning Show urging the nation to help rebuild our community. A new website has launched to accept corporate donations and to register volunteers with desperatelyneeded skills: www.floodhelpnr.com.au “The task ahead of us is mammoth. The scale of what we’re dealing with is so difficult to get across,” said Elly. To rebuild, the Lismore community is seeking corporate donors to supply us with: • Gumboots • Workwear / work boots • Generators • Gernis / pressure cleaners • Truck wash • Industrial fans • Dehumidifiers • Respirator masks. To rebuild, the Lismore community needs volunteers such as: • Handypeople • Carpenters • Electricians • Plumbers • Glaziers • Structural engineers. Any volunteers that come to Lismore need to be self-sufficient and have accommodation organised in surrounding areas. Register an offer of help at www.floodhelpnr.com.au to make sure goods and services are directed at those who need them most. LISMORE

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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FLOOD UPDATE NEWSLETTER Receive the latest information direct via email. Council has created a newsletter with the latest updates regarding the major flood event with information that will assist during the recovery and rebuilding stages. To subscribe, check the Flood Updates box and enter your email at the following link at CLICK HERE LISMORE

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A Community Banking Hub has been established at Southern Cross University in Lismore, to provide banking services to the community in response to the devastating impact of the floods on the Northern Rivers. The Community Banking Hub will be located at the Goodman Plaza at Southern Cross University on Military Road, East Lismore and will be open from Monday 7 March from 9am5pm. The hub will be home to bcu, G&C Mutual Bank, Greater Bank, Newcastle Permanent, Southern Cross Credit Union and Summerland Credit Union. For more information visit: summerland.com.au/news/341-community-banking-hub

LISMORE

https://summerland.com.au/

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A shuttle bus service is now operating throughout Lismore and one of the stops is at Southern Cross University where we have our Community Banking Hub at Goodman Plaza. Forward Journey

Return Journey

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ABOUT THE BEDS FOR LISMORE INITIATIVE Our region needs support and people from far and wide are reaching out to help. The General Manager of Rydges Sydney Airport is an old friend of Austin Curtin. She contacted him last week after witnessing the destruction across the region wrecked by the rain and flooding. With the hotel bed replacement program about to commence, she thought it much more sensible to send the beds north in such a time of need. She hopes that the beds might offer someone or even a whole family peace of mind and one less thing to think about as many people begin rebuilding their lives. The St Carthage’s Parish organised a successful mattress drive after the 2017 Lismore flood under the guidance of Bishop Greg Homeming. It helped many people and families in need then. Father Bing and Austin are hoping to do the same now. Border Express Transport have offered the bed transport FREE of CHARGE. Dead set legends. LEGENDS. Thank you and thank you to Rydges for arranging the logistics with Border Transport. St Carthage’s Parish are allowing the beds to be stored in the Cathedral as it recovers & restores after the flood. Local volunteers (friends of Austin) will do the heavy lifting and unloading into the Cathedral… they are yet to find this out. If you’re fit & strong & happy to help call Austin 0423 343 061. We all want to help North Coast communities get back on their feet after a good night’s sleep. Feel free to express your interest.

There are a mix of king, queen and single beds. They are the 'Rydges Dream Bed' and are a 4.5 star quality. The beds are 9yrs old. Special thanks to those supporting this initiative: Rydges Sydney Airport Border Express St Carthage's Parish Instyle Sleepcentre Bryants Beds & Mattresses

If you have questions please contact Austin Curtin on 0423 343 061. Would you like a new bed or need linen & pillows? The best place to get a new bed, linen and pillows is through your local bed specialist shop: Instyle Sleepcentre Call David (02) 6621 3250 Website Bryants Beds & Mattresses Call Dallas (02) 6622 0011

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Just helped unload a truckload (literally) of mattresses at St Carthages Cathedral in Lismore in an operation run by Austin Curtin with enormous help from members of Lismore Rugby Club and Lismore Swans. They were donated from Sydney and trucked here overnight by John and his driver from Border Express. These will be used for much needed assistance for flood victims. There will be another 1 or 2 truckloads arriving in the next couple of weeks. Fantastic generosity!! Thanks Guys! LISMORE

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OPEN

Thank you to a crew of local legends we are OPEN at Three Little Butchers Wyrallah Road East Lismore Stock is limited Eftpos available Opened Friday until 6pm

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Your Library needs your help. Now that the sun's out, it's time to think about rebuilding and restocking library shelves! Tax deductible financial and book donations are being accepted but conditions apply. Visit www.rtrl.nsw.gov.au/floodrecovery-donations for ways you can help. (02) 6625 5100 rtrl@rtrl.nsw.gov.au http://www.rtrl.nsw.gov.au LISMORE

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www.facebook.com/RichmondTweedRegionalLibrary MARCH 07 2022 www.jwtpublishing.com.au

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ADVICE WORKPLACE ADVICE LINE

Business NSW have opened access to their Workplace Advice Line, now free to all businesses in NSW impacted by the current flood disaster for the next four weeks at no charge to all businesses in impacted areas. The Advice Line can help you manage issues like employees not being able to work because they cannot travel to work or safely enter the workplace because of flooding. For support please call 13 29 59 between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday. LEGAL AID Legal Aid can provide free legal advice and minor assistance with insurance, tenancy and credit and debt problems 1300 888 529. RESILIENT KIDS’ PROGRAM $10 million to support the mental health of school-aged children. This will be through the ‘Resilient Kids’ program. Contact Us Phone: (02) 6625 0500 43 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah NSW 2480. Australia PO Box 23A, Lismore NSW 2480. Australia

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If your home or essential household contents were damaged or destroyed by a natural disaster, you may be eligible for the Disaster Relief Grant for individuals. The financial assistance is provided to help people to recover from the effects of a disaster and re-establish a basic standard of living. It is not provided to replace insurance or compensate for losses. 1. Phone 13 77 88 and ask about the Disaster Relief Grant administered by Resilience NSW. LISMORE

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Knowing that counsellors were sometimes difficult to find in regional areas, we created a Video Counselling service. It's free, and no GP referral is required. We have sessions available. If you feel like talking to a counsellor would be helpful, please call us on 1300 152 854. We realise that internet and phone might be a challenge still for some in the Northern Rivers, hopefully, they'll be restored really soon. LISMORE

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LISMORE

CBD MAGAZINE APRIL ISSUE 2022 submissions by: 25th March 2022 jwt@jwtpublishing.com.au

FREE e-magazine ISSUU/JWT PUBLISHING www.jwtpublishing.com.au

You might not have known that @theloftlismore @thebankcafelismore @piggybanklismore are actually one business. 3 logos, 3 sites, 3 menus but 1 team. Was this our plan, our design? Not exactly. This is what happens when an amazing group of talented individuals find themselves together, they grow. We’ve grown from 1 to 3 venues, from 6 to 30 staff. We’ve built memories and shared major milestones amongst our team. To us, the scores of people that have touched our businesses are more like family, not simply staff and customers. LISMORE

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Over the past days we’ve had to do something that broke our hearts. Without revenue we cannot financially support 30 staff for an unknown period of time. We’ve had to encourage them to find alternative work wherever and whenever they can. We’ll help them to achieve this anyway we can. Our greatest fear is that things will never be the same again. We’re not ready to say goodbye. Decisions on how we move forward have not been made. There are too many unknowns. We’ve cleaned out the mud, washed items we hope to salvage, and have left the buildings to dry. This is nothing like 2017. All three premises have sustained considerable damage that will need extensive repairs. Water levels from the floor in each venue were; Loft 5m, PiggyBank 5m, The Bank 3.4m. The story is the same for all around town, we simply share these numbers for those afar that cannot grasp the magnitude of this event. So what now? Now we wait. We wait for electricity, we wait for insurance decisions, we wait for major repairs to town infrastructure, we wait for building repairs, we wait to see what our peers are doing. To all the surviving and employing businesses across the Northern Rivers. If you receive a resume with one of our businesses on them, you’ve struck gold! Running three venues is an impossible undertaking for a single owner. Our venues have been managed and directed by our team for years now and the team deserves every bit of recognition the businesses receive. Good luck Lismore and beyond.

Be kind. Be gentle. Be patient. This will take some time. Love, Brad & Kate. LISMORE

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Better music for Lismore.

Hi Lismore, welcome to Local Sounds Lismore. Your new digital radio station.

We launched our station last month and we're looking forward to playing you the best of the 70's 80's & 90's. We'll bring you news and local information for locals and tourists alike. It's all free, just visit https://localsounds.com.au and have a listen. Like our Facebook page and we will keep you updated. www.facebook.com/AirNewsMediaAust/

#BetterMusicForLismore

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Better music for Lismore. A VISION FOR REGIONAL RADIO Tourist radio is not dead yet. Two brothers, Matt and John White have a vision for radio in regional cities that mixes great music with local information that is relevant to both locals and visitors. They call it Local Sounds Lismore. “We want to bring a local feel, professional sounding radio and the music people love to Lismore residents and tourists alike” John White said. John and Matt started their radio careers at community station YYY in Brisbane’s north in the early 90’s. Matt continued to work in radio industry across Australia over the past 25 years. John chose a career in the finance industry and continued his love for music playing in a rock band around Brisbane.

“We love radio and live music and want to bring the old tourist radio into the modern age, giving tourists a compelling reason to visit Lismore” said Matt White. “Our Air News Media partnership is key part of our model, we want to give listeners the latest news with a regular and comprehensive update. Air News provides a professional service that we believe is as good as the BBC.” John White said “We launched 3 weeks ago and have had a fantastic response from people living around Lismore and the region, listeners from outside the region are lapping up the local information. Because we are digital we can track new and repeat listeners and can already see daily growth. 70% of our listeners this week had listened in the preceding weeks, so we know the format is working”. The station name, Local Sounds says it all. The commercial free, digital only station, plays a wide variety of hits from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, they feature local artists and amp it up with a party mix every Friday and Saturday night. The station can be accessed for free via their website https://localsounds.com.au or via the free app. The station can be accessed for free via the website https://localsounds.com.au or via the free app.

www.facebook.com/AirNewsMediaAust/ info@airnews-media.com.au www.airnews-media.com.au/

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LISMORE

CBD MAGAZINE March 2022 Issue Vol. 2 - NO.9 Lismore CBD Magazine is published by John Tozeland. Whilst the publisher has taken all reasonable precautions and effort to ensure the accuracy of material contained in this issue Vol. 2 No. 9. at the time of publishing, no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage will be assumed. All conditions, rates, specifications and policies are subject to change without notice. Expressed or implied authors’ and advertisers’ opinions are not necessarily those of the editor and/or publisher.

All material produced and/or published by Lismore CBD Magazine in electronic, printed or other format is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the express written permission of the publisher. The advertiser assumes all responsibility for attaining copyright permission for any and all material produced by Lismore CBD Magazine.

FIND US ON www.jwtpublishing.com.au

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Men & Family Centre wins national contract to develop online Men’s Behaviour Change Program for regional men The Northern Rivers-based Men & Family Centre (M&FC) has won a contract from No to Violence to develop and implement an online Men’s Behaviour Change Program (MBCP) for men in rural, regional and remote locations. The project could dramatically improve access to MBCPs for men in the regions, which are often unavailable outside of metropolitan or major regional centres. M&FC Co-Manager Lainie Rees said the organisation was chosen to lead the project because of its recognised expertise in the Men’s Behaviour Change field, and its understanding of the needs of regional communities. “Our established Men’s Behaviour Change Program (MBCP) is normally delivered through face-to-face group meetings.

“Over the past two years, however, face-to-face group meetings have been difficult to deliver due to COVID restrictions. This has forced us to look into online options to keep clients engaged with our service. “We’re excited by the opportunity to take the lessons we’ve learned over the past two years and apply them to the development and delivery of a full online behaviour change program for men living in rural, regional, and remote areas.” MBCPs aim to support men's behaviour change by directly challenging attitudes and behaviours that are driven by gender inequality and increasing men's understanding of the impacts these attitudes and behaviours have on affected family members. MBCPs attempt to increase the safety of women and children by supporting men to hold themselves accountable for their violent and abusive behaviours. The project is being managed by No to Violence – the largest peak body in Australia representing organisations and individuals working with men to end family violence. No to Violence CEO Jacqui Watt said the project was an important step in understanding online MBCPs for marginalised men. “We know that men living in rural, regional, and remote areas are too often unable to access MBCPs because of geographic limitations. "This project aims to understand the extent to which MBCPs designed specifically for the online space and for particular audiences are effective—and the implications for future programming.” “We are excited to work closely with the Men & Family Centre on this pilot as part of our ongoing commitment to collaborating with our member organisations to strengthen our practices and keep women, children and families safe,” explained Watt. The Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Centre has been contracted to conduct a full program evaluation. Men who wish to find out more information about the program should contact the Men & Family on (02) 6622 6116 or use the contact form on the Men and Family Centre website: www.menandfamily.org.au.

MARCH 14 2022 www.jwtpublishing.com.au

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