Last week, like many others in the region, NextSense faced the difficult task of cleaning out our Lismore centre after the flood.

Chief Executive Chris Rehn and a team of NextSense staff from Sydney travelled to Lismore to help the local team assess the damage and see what, if anything, could be salvaged.

‘Driving through Lismore it was heartbreaking to see street after street piled high with the contents of people’s homes and businesses. It was also mind-blowing to see how high the water had reached in such a widespread area,’ says Regional Manager, Nichola Midgley.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of the flooding very little of the centre was salvageable.

Despite this, we received generous help from an amazing team of volunteers to clean and gut the office. We can’t thank the volunteers from Convoy of Hope and Victory House Rehab Program enough. Like many of the amazing community members who have mobilised throughout the area, they have spent the last two weeks helping people clear out the contents of their properties for council pickup. It was a heartbreaking task that we could not have done without them.

Our Lismore team—Cleon, Leonie, and Jackie—have been strong and resilient through this immensely difficult time. They have all played a big part in building the Lismore service over the past 12 years and are now doing an amazing job supporting each other and the community to get through this challenging period, including continuing support for our clients in the region as best they can in the circumstances.

Whilst the loss of our centre is tragic, we are starting to regroup and plan next steps. We are so very fortunate to have had offers from donors keen to assist us at this difficult time. Right now, our thoughts are with those who are less fortunate.