Today the extended family of eight are renting and living in an overcrowded three bedroom house, while struggling to also pay the mortgage and rates on their family home which was completely submerged during the floods

It’s unlikely the family will ever live in what was their dream home again. Belinda’s sister Donna purchased the large property only a year ago, and was planning to build a granny flat, so the extended family including the two sisters, Donna’s husband and children and their mother could all be together.

Months on, it is the youngest members of the family who seem to be the hardest hit, Belinda says. She fights tears as she explains how her four-year-old nephew Lachlan struggled terribly in the lead up to starting his new kindergarten. She says: “He didn’t want to go to kindy because no one would like him, because he (didn’t) have anything.”

Looking back, Belinda still struggles to tell her story. She was home with her brother-in- law and had to evacuate to the Ipswich Showground when the water hit.

They then had to deliver the devastating news to the rest of the family. The flood waters had risen two feet above their roof. Everything was destroyed.

Salvation Army Corps Officers, Majors Bruce and Margaret Dobbie worked day and night at the evacuation centre, helping to serve 12,000 meals over 18 days to hundreds of stranded residents.

They have continued to support Belinda’s family, who are struggling with the financial burden of having to pay a mortgage as well as rent.

“They got us a new fridge ... some new sheets and towels and quilts for the kids. And just being there has helped,” says Belinda.

The Salvation Army also encouraged the family to submit the necessary applications to receive funds available to help them rebuild their lives.

But it’s not only the financial burden, it is the emotional turmoil the family is going through that is the hardest to overcome. Belinda says she greatly appreciates the support that Margaret and Bruce have given her family, “They are worth their weight in gold, those two!”