Forest Lake woman living in caravan after travelling to return husband’s ashes to family

A Queensland woman has been stuck in New Zealand for months after she travelled there to fulfil her husband’s final wish - to take his ashes back home.

A Queensland woman grieving the loss of her husband has been left stranded in New Zealand for months with no support after she made the trip to return his ashes to his parents.

Forest Lake resident Sally Harrison said she waited until July to fulfil the request in her husband Murray’s will to ensure borders wouldn’t be slammed shut again after he suddenly passed in November.

“I went to New Zealand and thought it was reasonably safe, it was going to be a week’s trip, if that,” she said.

But when Ms Harrison went to return home in late July the border bubble between Australia and New Zealand had ceased, leaving her with nowhere to go.

“To actually be a refugee, I can’t describe it, it’s the most soul-destroying feeling I have ever had in my life and to be grieving for my husband and not be there for his children.”

“I have family and support in Queensland and that’s where I need to be, we’re still very much grieving for my husband and I need to be around the people that can support me.”

She said she was disappointed to see interstate travellers allowed to relocate to Queensland when residents could not return home.

“You’ve got people that are wanting to cross the border, that is their choice, they are relocating and they are getting hotel quarantine spaces sometimes within days, I’m a permanent resident and I can’t get home.”

“I’m staying where I can, I had some people that let me stay in a unit that they had below their home near Auckland.”

Ms Harrison then moved on to Christchurch and was living in a caravan, paying for the temporary home and the upkeep of her house in Queensland on a pension.

Having already contacted federal and state authorities for assistance, Ms Harrison said her issue was that there were no planes that would return her home.

“It’s not a case of applying, it’s a case of waiting. I can’t manufacture a plane.”

“There has been one flight to Brisbane and it went online at 10am, I was so frightened my alarm wouldn’t work so I sat up all night and that morning to try and get a ticket and I missed out. I was a total mess.”

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said DFAT’s highest priority was helping vulnerable Australians overseas.

“Over 681,000 Australians have arrived in Australia since the Government recommended that people reconsider the need to travel abroad, this includes around 96,700 Australians from New Zealand since 19 April 2021,” he said.

“The Government prioritises flights where the need is the greatest based on registrations of Australians in vulnerable situations and the availability of commercial flight options.”

Australians stranded overseas were encouraged to register their details with DFAT.