Gusto's Emergency Flood Relief

Kate Maconachie is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Christine Maconachie.

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On the night of Sunday 17th December, shortly after Cyclone Jasper crossed the Tropical Far North Queensland Coast, torrential and record-breaking rain fell on the Bloomfield River catchment. What followed was a catastrophic swelling of the river and nearby creeks, including Granite Creek that borders our property. This resulted in sudden and absolutely devastating floods that impacted many of the homes and properties of the Bloomfield Region, Wujal Wujal and surrounding townships. Many people lost their homes, vehicles, livelihoods, pets and all of their belongings. The floods have also significantly impacted people's ability to work as their places of work have literally been swept away.

That night, Gusto’s home, Shambala, was completely engulfed by flood waters. Our brother swam out of the fast rising flood waters in the dark to seek shelter on higher ground, whilst he watched his whole life be swallowed and prayed for rain to stop and the water to stop rising. The next day, thankfully the waters subsided around his home, however every room, nook and cranny was filled with mud with muddy debris from floor to ceiling. All of the essential equipment needed to survive in the bush was destroyed or washed away – solar power systems, bore water system, generators, gas fridge, and other big equipment along with all of his worldly possessions, big, small, functional, sentimental... were either strewn across the property caked in mud or were gone completely. As you can imagine, this has been a devastating blow for our family, but particularly Gusto, who has worked so hard over a decade to build Shambala, piece by piece.

In addition to homes, infrastructure and roads have been completely decimated and access to power and water are severely limited. The magnitude of destruction is unimaginable, changing the landscape completely. The community is facing so many difficulties to even connect and transport desperately needed items for survival and clean up to those in need. Whilst this has devastated the community and many of our dear friends up there, it has completely devastated Gusto. This is his whole life, there is no back up plan. We have only recently been able to talk with Gusto and he is slowly processing the shock and grief of this natural disaster. It will be a long, long road to recovery.

The Bloomfield has been Gusto’s home for many years and even though things seem completely overwhelming right now, step by step, Gusto will rebuild his life and home but he will need our help. We are already beyond humbled at the number of people who have reached out with offers of support, both practical and financial. Friends, family and supporters can contact Kate directly (Gusto's phone reception is still unreliable) to make a bank transfer, or donate via this GoFundMe page. Funds raised through this platform will go directly to Gusto.

Thank you so much for any assistance you are able to give, big or small.Much love and gratitude,Kate and Skye (Gusto's sisters), Chris and Bill (Gusto's parents)

P.S. To get an idea of what Gusto is dealing with copy/paste/click on these links: