Sister’s mercy mission to be with terminally ill brother in Victoria

Two sisters racing to see their terminally ill brother are among dozens camping out at the Victorian border, waiting to cross – including residents of the state.

Two sisters are among dozens camped out at the Victorian border, completing 14 days in a ‘safe’ zone before being able to cross over from NSW.

Wendy Squires and her sister Denise Garbutt have been living in their motorhome at the Albury Showgrounds, just north of the Victorian border, for ten days. They are trying to get into the state so they can be with their terminally ill brother.

“We’re so grateful that they’ve opened it up to us who want to try and get across the border,” Ms Squires told NCA NewsWire.

But she said it was a “frustrating” wait.

Sisters Wendy Squires and Denise Garbutt are heading to Geelong but must wait before they clear the border. Photo: NCA NewsWire / Simon Dallinger

The sisters are among dozens waiting at the border to cross over. NCA NewsWire / Simon Dallinger

The pair, originally from Western Australia, have been granted a pass to see their ill brother at Geelong in Victoria’s southwest but have to wait until Thursday – when they would have been outside a Covid-19 hotspot for 14 days – to try and cross.

“We want to try and get to Geelong,” Ms Squires told NCA NewsWire.

“I’m hoping and praying that our Thursday pass to go across will be sufficient,” she said.

Ms Squires wants to help care for her ailing brother and help her sister-in-law but says many others staying at the Albury Showgrounds are waiting to be allowed to go home.

They travelled from near Gympie in Queensland and took longer routes rather than risk travelling near communities impacted by coronavirus

Ms Squires, who is also a carer, took additional precautions including only stopping when necessary and even disinfecting shared showers before they used them.

She said they’d been tested twice for coronavirus and had gotten their shopping delivered to the Showgrounds.

Both sisters were also due to have their second vaccine across the border in Wodonga.

The sisters are one of only a few people being granted passes to cross the border and Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley said the situation in NSW was “deteriorating” on Saturday, when 466 cases and four deaths were recorded.

People lined up at the Albury Showgrounds drive in Covid test site. NCA NewsWire / Simon Dallinger

A statewide lockdown for NSW was announced just hours later, starting from 5pm.

Victoria’s health department has received more than 12,000 applications from its own residents trapped in NSW, with only six to seven per cent of those being approved.

“As tough and as personally disturbing as it is to see some of the really heartbreaking cases being declined, it’s sadly for a really good reason. We do not want to be where New South Wales is,” Mr Foley said.

“We are prioritising those end of life and critical medical care decisions, as I think Victorians would expect us to.”

Many travellers have stopped at the Albury site with the Showgrounds cancelling its usual five-day limit.