Veteran volunteers descend on Taree as Netball NSW launches flood disaster appeal
In the days after thousands of homes were inundated up and down the Mid North Coast, ex-soldiers are hitting the ground to help muck out. More than 1200 homes are uninhabitable.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
More than a week after thousands of homes were inundated up and down the Mid North Coast, a squad of 25 volunteer ex-servicemen and women are hitting the ground in Taree to help get residents and business owners back on their feet.
The NSW government through the National Emergency Management Agency has requested additional assistance from Disaster Relief Australia, a not-for-profit that has enlisted 100 volunteer veterans to help with the clean-up and rebuild efforts in Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Nambucca.
Rolling into Taree on Sunday, the latest deployment has set up shop in a local church, loaning out their military skills for debris removal, logistics and aid delivery and even drone operations to survey damage to properties from the sky.
DRA head of operations Anthony Birch said as the community transitions from flood response to recovery, the volunteer force has a “mandate” to stand beside affected residents “to get through that process of re-establishing normality”.
“We’ve got that mandate to go to the people and say, right, okay, do we need to remove your furniture? Do we need to help carry things out? Do we need to do some chainsawing to remove debris so that you’ve got access into your backyard or into your driveway?” he said.
“It can be a really long and drawn out process for some.”
One in 10 homes affected by NSW’s latest flood disaster have been rendered uninhabitable, more than two-thirds of which are in or around Taree.
The NSW State Emergency Service has conducted more than 12,000 damage assessments in the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions, deeming more than 1200 properties uninhabitable while a further 3100 are seriously damaged.
Taree Aquatic Centre, one of the worst-hit businesses in town, is inching closer to reopening after being decimated by the floodwaters.
Perched on the bank of the Manning River, the beloved club was one of the first to go under, with secretary manager Peter Hemingway finding water lapping at the front steps as early as 4.30pm on May 20.
“As the river was rising I decided to put all the chairs up on the tables, and I thought that would cover it, because back in 2021 the flood came up to about 2ft up the bar,” he said.
“But 2025 just blew it out of the water.”
By Friday morning, Mr Hemingway had returned to a club “completely decimated … like a bomb had gone through the entire place”.
“The mud was 30cm thick over the carpet, everything was turned upside down. We had fridges on top of fridges in the kitchen, our glass chillers were all mangled, our beautiful reception desk had been flipped right over,” he said.
His damage bill is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but other clubs like Club Liverpool have chipped in $10,000 to help Taree Aquatic rebuild and reopen in four weeks’ time.
There were 15 official evacuation centres in operation during the height of the disaster on May 22, with registered clubs accounting for 12 of them.
Clubs NSW chief executive Rebecca Riant said protecting and supporting their communities in times of crisis is what “registered clubs do best”.
“The people who work in clubs are always willing to go above and beyond,” she said.
“Last week, club staff on the Mid-North Coast were helping to transport vulnerable locals to and from nursing homes and hospitals, we had clubs providing shelter for people’s beloved pets.
“I’m so incredibly proud of the work our members do.”
Netball NSW has launched an urgent two-week appeal to raise funds for three regional associations hardest hit by the flood disaster, to help them rebuild their facilities and replace equipment.
The Manning Valley Netball Association in Taree was left with little more than a few balls and a couple of post-pads when their entire administration building and canteen went almost entirely underwater, wiping out all stock including uniforms and supplies.
Association president Jenny Anderson said the club was still counting its losses, with estimates the total bill could top $60,000.
“We were able to salvage about 40 years’ worth of trophies … that was one of the things we could get to the top shelf,” she said.
Ms Anderson said she was “surprised” by how focused and “tough” the players had remained in the face of such adversity, ahead of the HART Senior State Titles in Sydney.
“The tournament next week has been a big build up for them, so they’re excited … and I think it’s fair to say they’ve probably got a little bit more to play for now than before,” she said.
The Netball NSW appeal is raising money for the Manning Valley, Nambucca Valley and Macleay netball associations, in response to “overwhelming interest” from the wider netball community wanting to help, chief executive Tracey Scott said.
Donations can be made securely online via the Australian Sports Foundation: https://asf.org.au/projects/netball-nsw/netball-nsw-flood-recovery-appeal
Originally published as Veteran volunteers descend on Taree as Netball NSW launches flood disaster appeal
‘Probably be six feet under’: Why this man owes his life to everyday Aussies
As Paris Cockinos lay on an operating table with a lacerated liver, “blown-up” spleen, deflated lungs, broken back and facial fractures. He’s alive today thanks to everyday Australians.
How NSW Police are using facial recognition to catch criminals
Facial recognition is proving to be an invaluable tool for NSW Police, as a team of tech whizzes work around the clock to catch criminals across the state.