Mick is a man who was acknowledged by the village as being an absolute hero when it came to supporting the community. His operational role was essential and his heart was huge when it came to supporting the local people.

Born in 1963 he was in the Army from 1981 to 2013. In 2016 he moved with his wife to Broke where he owns a small business.

He was the Singleton Citizen of the year for 2023 and is the president of the Broke Residents Community Association.

Mick’s story is about his personal experience of the flood as well as sharing the story of being in charge of the operations centre at the Broke Community Hall during the 2022 catastrophic flood.

“Because of my 30-odd years in the military, mainly overseas in operations, I came into the job to head up the operations centre because I knew what was involved and that when I was down there at the hall, I had to portray, okay, this is what we've got to do and get it done.”

Like many others in the area his animals are an important part of his life.

“We discussed it when they came and saw us about evacuating my wife, Min, but we couldn't go because of the animals; we've got three dogs, two cats, and chickens. I don't think our biggest dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, would have been happy getting in a tinny to cross a raging river.”

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

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Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

Carina and her husband Leith were severely impacted by the 2022 flood but because they live at Warkworth, away from the main flood area and cut off by flooded roads, they were not assisted by emergency services.

“I was a little bit bitter that nobody had come, simply because if Leith hadn't been here, I would not have left. I would have waited for someone to come and save me. The dog and I would have been on my bed because that's the highest point and there was literally no one coming for us.

“In the future, I want them not to forget the little people. The alerts had come through Bulga, Broke, and Singleton. For some reason, I thought that because Warkworth wasn't named, we must be OK. It's a silly attitude, but it is what it is.”

Her husband Leith has also shared their story and both together offer us a devastating picture of their what they went through and it is still not over for them.

Carina’s story is raw and very honest but, like the other Kintsugi Heroes we have spoken to, she expressed her gratitude at the many acts of generosity and kindness from members of their community.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

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Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

Annie is a volunteer firefighter and a deputy captain with Wollombi Brigade in the Lower Hunter District. During the floods in 2022, along with many other firefighters in Wollombi Brigade, she undertook the daunting task of cleaning out local residents' flooded homes and businesses.

She learnt how important it was for residents to start the recovery process amidst their tears, left over fears and sense of hopelessness.

The floods didn't affect her home because she lives on a hill, although the sight of the tiny creek on her road turning into a river the width of the Hunter was something she hopes to never see again.

Annie’s story from both her personal and her role in the RFS captures the commitment and compassion of the local volunteer organisations that are the bedrock of rural communities.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

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Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

Kirsty and Quinton McCleod are a couple who manage Starline Alpacas Farmstay in Broke. They have a shared passion for farming, agritourism and for the growth and development of our region.

Quinton came to the region with an interest in viticulture , but his farming background saw him return to his first love, and Alpacas took the limelight.

Kirsty hailing from a Criminology background saw her work like pivot in a rural setting where she found a love for finding a way to make the farming experience and tourism accessible to everyone.

During the flood they used their resources to shelter as many families as they were able to. Having kids of their own they recognised the importance of having a space for kids to feel moments of normality and safety away from flood waters whilst their parents navigated rebuilding their lives. Along with some incredible local educators we were able to provide a space for a play group .

Kirsty and Quinton share their insights and observations of the devastating impact of the flood on Broke and the residents following some rough years of drought fire and the pandemic.

Their love for their community shines through their words as does their strong belief in the future of this special region.

Social Media

www.starlinealpacas.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/starlinealpacasfarmstayresort/

https://www.tiktok.com/@starlinealpacas

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

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Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

Leith has a heart rending story about the events of the 6th of July 2022, when he and his wife, Carina, were caught up in the floods and lost everything.

Their village, Warkworth, was out of the way and not part of the hub of activity in the area, but they were heavily impacted on the day of the flood.

They ended up camping by the roadside in atrocious conditions until they were separated by the need for his wife to have a safe space to live. They felt abandoned by the emergency services but were eventually supported by their neighbours and community members.

"Unfortunately, the short-term goal of this situation is to raise awareness of many of these issues and find out why people like us were forgotten. "

"We had no communication to know what other people were doing apart from people stopping by. We saw no emergency services. We had nothing; we had no information besides this water is in our house now. The only assistance we received was from some community people and a couple of stubborn mates who drove out to help out. The area was shut, locked down with floods happening all around."

"If people want to help, the help has to be appropriate. Sometimes, it's not. Some people can hinder, and some people can help.

They are both suffering ongoing trauma. Leith has spent much of the past two years in often fruitless attempts to salvage their precious possessions flooded out in their three sea containers on the property. Carina tells her story in another Kintsugi Heroes podcast.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

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Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

Evelyn Hardy is a well -loved local pillar of the local community in Broke. She loves to keep busy and found that during the 2022 floods her commitment to the wellbeing of the local community was a way of dealing with her own losses in the flood.

In her story she shares her experiences during the floods. As secretary of the Broke Community Hall and together with a wonderful group of local women she played a pivotal role in offering help and support to the local community.

“Keeping in touch with community and helping out is something I enjoy immensely.

Ever since the flood in July 2022 there has been an enormous amount of work needing to be done and being a part of our local committee, Broke Residents Community Association, has kept a focus on getting back on ours and everyone else’s feet.”

“For the past almost 20 months everyone in our community has been focusing on getting back on track to pre flood.

The BRCA and many others have worked toward helping in the recovery and wellbeing of all of our community members. Being a part of this community has been something that I personally am very proud and humbled by.

It’s been an incredibly hard experience with several people still nowhere near over the impact of the floods. Being there for the ones still going through this is very important to me personally and providing support and wellbeing is top priority moving forward.”

Biography

I’m a mum of 2 adult children and a grandmother.

I volunteer at the Singleton Neighbourhood Centre.

I am the secretary of the Broke Community Hall.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

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Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

Tony is a long-time resident of the Wollombi area up near Broke. He moved there with his partner in 1992.

His story concerns the 2022 Broke and Bulga and Wollombi flood situation. He has a unique perspective because of his long association with the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and community support.

During floods, the community reaches out for help and support from existing community organisations and the RFS played a pivotal role in the 2022 floods.

Biography

After a long period of service as a Volunteer with the NSW Rural Fire Service, joined the RFS as a staff member, specialising in bushfire mitigation.

Tony has a dual passion. Understanding and implementing best practice bushfire management and sharing that knowledge and experience through training and mentoring. He has a professional and personal desire to develop existing programs to a higher level and is highly qualified.

For the last few years, in private consultancy, he has been involved with training, including in cultural burning practices in the Hunter. Following the fires in 2019, he has been involved in community resilience training.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

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Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

Carly Dawson only moved into Broke almost a year to the day before the floods. She had been around the area for a while before that after she and her and her son had spent a long time travelling and working around Australia with a caravan, but with no plans to settle in Broke.

Circumstances led them to the Hunter and she subsequently got a job in the Broke area. They had been traveling for about five years at that stage and it was time to settle down somewhere and try something new. In 2021 she bought an old house in the centre of town.

Carly tells her story with compassion and clarity. The flood did not enter her house but came very close and she witnessed the devastation suffered by others as she struggled with Covid so had to remain in isolation.

“At one stage I dozed off and I woke up much later, to a lapping sound. For a minute I thought I was in a boat because my brain wasn't working properly. I thought, hang on, that doesn't sound good. I went to one of my back rooms to look out the window onto the street and the water was up around the house. I went out to the front patio and the water was completely up to top of the stairs of the patio.”

Like other locals she expresses her appreciation of the supportive community and what that meant to her as a newcomer to the area.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.