Christmas spirit has a whole new meaning to Cairns residents, who after a week of devastation, have started to smile again.
Rangi Marie lost her home and car in the Cairns suburb of Machans Beach, last week after flood waters tore through the region.
The single mum wanted to do something special for her two children, so took them to a free Christmas lunch organised by community volunteers for flood-affected residents.
The lunch, held at a local Catholic school, was attended by about 250 people, who enjoyed a menu featuring Christmas staples like turkey, ham and plum pudding – as well as ice cream, a treat in the tropical heat.
“[The floods were] traumatic, it was stressful, it was life threatening,” she said.
“This lunch meant we were able to take a break and enjoy life. It was so sad, but the joy is starting to come back to our hearts.
“We are starting to smile again. The love is here. Heaps of love.”
Holloways Beach resident Mila Pini said she had to sleep on her kitchen bench as flood waters rose in her home.
“I was stuck in the house and waiting for a rescue, it was really scary and overwhelming,” she said.
“I was screaming ‘I’m on my own at home’. It was a pretty daunting experience. I don’t want to go through it again.”
She said the community around Cairns came together after the floods, and the community Christmas party was another example of that.
“From day one after the flooding I was really amazed at how the community got together and helped each other and supported each other,” she said.
“It’s a good community. Especially making Christmas happen for people like us. It’s very nice.”
While she said it was good to take a break for Christmas lunch, she and her family would be back cleaning up this afternoon.
“We’ll try to pack something up to take back to the temporary accommodation,” she said.
“I want to get my life back together once this is all cleaned up, start fresh and restart my life.”
Christmas for the community
At the lunch, there were also jumping castles, fairy floss and a visit from Santa, who came bearing gifts for everyone, including the adults.
Organiser Bree James said an army of of community members from across Cairns put the event together in about four days.
“Surprisingly [the mood is] actually quite upbeat,” she said.
“These families have been through so much, but it is Christmas Day and they’ve walked in here, caught a bus here, or got here themselves if they didn’t lose their vehicles.
“There’s is a real sense of community and a real sense of joy that they’ve got a bit of a reprieve, to get out of that environment for a few hours.
“It’s got a real festive feeling and a feeling of giving which is what Christmas is all about.”
Dino Vanderent said he was “very grateful” for the event after his home at Holloways Beach was inundated.
“Our house got completely flooded, waist deep out, so all of that part of our life is on the lawn,” he said.
“But we’ve got our animals, we’ve cleaned the house a little bit and we’ll work out the rest later.”
He said the lunch allowed residents to let their hair down for a couple of hours.
“We’ve been in survival mode for a while, so It’s good to relax a little bit, open up emotionally and receive all the love that people are giving out today,” he said.
“It makes you feel like you’re not alone and we’re all here together.”
On Sunday, the state government confirmed 554 homes had been moderately damaged by the Far North Queensland floods, while 126 were severely damaged and 12 completely destroyed.
