ABOVE: Tash, centre in dark blue t-shirt, with her minions who help deliver furniture to those impacted by floods. Photo: Susanna Freymark
Susanna Freymark
Natasha Shearer-Lambert, who everyone calls Tash, is at the Woodburn Hub loading furniture.
The wedding stylist from Tweed Heads spends a lot of time in Woodburn and other towns that flooded.
“We’re not a charity or not-for-profit group,” Tash said.
“We connect people with what they need.”
Tash has lived in Lismore and has family there.
When her sister’s house and then her sister-in-law’s house was inundated, Tash wanted to do something.
“It was because of how catastrophic it was,” Tash said.
Because Tash runs Affordable Wedding and Event Hire, she has a network of contacts.
She organised a truckload of goods after the floods and when she saw how much was needed she set up rebuildingnr2022, an independent volunteer team.
Rebuildingnr2022 is not linked to any official organisations and only uses the space at the back end of Woodburn Hub shed as storage.
There is another storage place in Lismore.
The volunteers, 50 of them, call themselves minions rather than volunteers.
Many of them are flood affected themselves, Tash said.
Tash and her minions were a happy lot when we caught up with them at the Woodburn Hub. They were loading coffee tables and a fridge onto a rental truck and delivering items to homes in Woodburn.
Tash created the group and Facebook page four months ago.
Since then, she has had a lot of donations – building materials, furniture, deceased estates, office furniture and much more.
One man wanted to donate money, but Tash doesn’t take cash, only goods.
He asked Tash what was most needed. Whitegoods, Tash said.
The man bought $24,000 worth of washing machines and fridges to be distributed to those impacted by floods.
The same man, who wants to remain anonymous, has donated up to $150,000 of goods, Tash said.
Tash doesn’t know the end date of what she’s doing.
“Until everything is back to normal,” she said, and then she laughed.
Whatever normal is, she said.
Some people need furniture for a rental they’re moving to. Others living by their damaged homes need camping gear.
Tash and her 50 minions are happy to keep helping, and they do it with such good cheer.
For more information go to rebuildingnr2022.com where people can ‘shop’ for free.
