Lismore Diocese’s Port Macquarie parish was delivering food and clothing to evacuation centres on Friday as the region faced its worst floods since 2021. Source: The Catholic Leader.
Parish priest Fr Paul Gooley said the community had “always been resilient” like many communities along the north coast.
On Friday, he said while the rains had eased, the big challenge would come when people could assess the damage.
Port Macquarie parish is a significant employer in the area, operating aged care and education centres, as well as six schools within the parish.
Fr Gooley said there had been some damage to their properties, but it had been light compared to what some other communities had experienced.
He said the parish would always be a community of hope, especially in the Year of Jubilee.
“We will always have that hope that the goodness of people and the goodness of the Church and the wider community will always prevail over any tragedy that we might come up against,” he said.
He also acknowledged the sad news of lives lost in the flood.
Parish client experience manager Tahlia Danks said it was humbling to be part of the operations and to see the community pull together.
Authorities reported five people died after record flooding hit large parts of the New South Wales Mid North Coast and Hunter regions last week.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the state was getting used to the “grim reality” of natural disasters as they become more frequent.
Mr Minns then thanked emergency volunteers for their dedication to the state.
FULL STORY
Port Macquarie parish provide emergency goods as NSW floods leave four dead and thousands stranded (By Joe Higgins, The Catholic Leader)
