Eather group supported residents flood recovery efforts

Locals, Fire and Rescue and RFS members, local council and local businesses all helped out any way that they could, often getting their hands dirty to scrub concrete-like sediment from walls, sort through flood-damaged possessions and carry ruined furniture out, to be taken away.

Eather Group is one local business that made major efforts to assist in the clean-up.

Under the direction of Hawkesbury City Council, Eather Group, supported by international demo company Delta Group, donated large bins and a semi-tipper truck.

They hopped from street-to-street, to collect and dispose of damaged items from flood-affected properties.

On March 28, North Street, Windsor was full of community members, volunteer RFS and even ex PM Tony Abbott, assisting multiple flood-affected residents in loading the Eather Group truck.

The truck was then emptied and moved to Mileham Street to assist the clean up there.

As it arrived, local Firies stopped by to chip in and do some heavy lifting for a couple who lost decades of possessions from their lower level and garage.

Just days later, the community rallied on Facebook for volunteers to help a family who had lost everything in South Windsor.

There were 17 strangers, of all ages and abilities, working together to lift damaged possessions into the Eather Group truck and Delta Group bin.

An older Oakville resident, Colin Hawkins, spent his day loading the truck and said that otherwise "I would have just been mowing anyway".

Together, the volunteers cleared three trucks and one bin load of waste in just one day, also working to clear up the surrounding park from washed up debris.

The Eather family have a long history and connection to the Hawkesbury, dating back to original colonial settlements.

Their extensive history is marked tragically with 12 members of the family having lost their lives in the great 1867 flood, which reached 19.7 metres at its peak.

Many Eathers would have been found assisting in the clean up in March.

"Residents have to emotionally part with every ruined item and comprehend the damage," said Eather Group's Marketing Manager, Divina Eather. "That's what makes this process so heartbreaking."

"It's an honour to be able to provide some relief to a community that has been so generous to me and my family in the past."

The Eather Group thanked all community members and non-locals who assisted in the clean-up.