EFL: Silvan throws its support behind Charlie Caputo following 100k damage bill
An EFL Division 4 club has thrown its support behind a stalwart of more than 30 years after a freak storm obliterated his Silvan farm and left him with a six-figure damage bill.
Local Footy
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Silvan Football Club is rallying around president Charlie Caputo after last week’s freak storm which lashed Melbourne’s outer east destroyed his farm.
Wild winds of up to 100km/h tore through the region, with three people killed and about 50,000 homes left without power.
Caputo, who has been involved at the Cats since 1988, woke to find his Silvan farm obliterated, claiming hot houses growing capsicums, cherry tomatoes and chilis which formed part of his financial livelihood.
The Silvan stalwart said the damage bill on his property totalled up to $100,000, along with an estimated $10,000 to $20,000 to remove all the debris.
“To build that infrastructure all over again which you need to, there’s nothing salvageable, it’s all gone,” Caputo said
“My whole block of hot houses has been just torn away … and ended up in the tree-line.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I think what’s gone through is almost like a mini-tornado and there’s another property a couple of kilometres away and it’s done similar damage as well.
“It just hit a line of properties and I just happened to be one of them unfortunately.”
Silvan senior coach Trent Martin described the scene as “like someone’s dropped a bomb on his farm” and said the club would do all it could to help its president.
“I was just blown away when I heard, and I nearly teared up when I drove past there,” Martin said.
“He’s been through tough times up there and he puts all his money back into the footy club.
“We have every intention to help him in any way we can after everything he’s done for the footy club, but the initial stages are beyond what we can help with.
“Once the dust settles, we can go and do a bit of gardening for him or we can raise some money for him and I don’t think anyone at the club would bat an eyelid at that.”
Caputo conceded this year’s growth season a “write off” as he anticipated a long wait for the repairs, which he said needed to be completed by next winter in order to plant in August.
He farms part-time but also trades as a flower merchant three days a week, selling at local markets.
But despite the heavy damage bill and hit to weekly income, Caputo said perspective was needed following the deaths of three people.
“I’ve got a chance to rebuild, and the people that died don’t have a chance to come back, that’s how I look at it,” he said.
“I’ve been hit hard but I woke up that morning and three people had died from the storm.
“I’m going to go to market and still get my weekly wage, it’s not the end of the world, I’ve still got my job.”
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