South Lismore business owner Stephen Butcher worked late into the night on February 27 trying to prepare his bakery for the flood he knew was coming.
He loaded as much machinery and equipment as he could onto a ute, but by 11pm, it was time to leave as the rising waters threatened to cut off access to the Ballina Street bridge.
When the water receded, he returned to total destruction like everyone in his neighbourhood.
The water had rushed from Browns Creek through the back of the shop, destroying everything in its path and knocking out the front windows.
"This time, the two-and-a half-metre rise on what the previous level was just unbelievable. To think that much extra water can go through here. It's frightened a lot of businesses from reopening," Mr Butcher said.
Making the decision to rebuild
For a week, Mr Butcher said he 'shed plenty of tears' and suffered plenty of doubts about his ability to rebuild.
And it hasn't been smooth sailing since. The second flood halted progress for a week. COVID has caused a seven-day shut down of a bakery he has leased at Alstonville to provide his staff with jobs, and he is wading through paperwork in a bid to secure flood recovery funding.
But with his family and 16 staff to consider, he said he was working on picking up the pieces and creating a plan to build back better.
"We own the building, so we had to make the decision of trying to resurrect it as quickly as we possibly can and do it the best way that we can so if in the future we see another event like this."
Vision for the future
Standing in the guttered shell of Southside Hot Bread, he paints a picture of what he hopes to get up and running there within the next eight weeks and how he plans to do it.
Mr Butcher started by stripping back all the paint and plasterwork on the walls — along with the black mould he found growing beneath the surface —- and ripped out the flood-affected false ceiling.
"We are now going to retain that beautiful height, and hopefully, it gives us a nice cool building in here."
"It's all solid structure, you can see that brickwork here now, the hardwood ceiling joists, and we are just going to attach to that ceiling joist there and make it a nice smooth surface. We will probably just have some downlights."
"We've got a bit of a feature. A whiz-bang look to really blow South Lismore away when we hit back."
A week to the day after the first flood, Mr Butcher, his builder, and Lismore City Council representatives from the building, planning and health departments were all on-site at the bakery — a meeting Mr Butcher said was instigated by the council's health inspector.
"I had already drawn up plans for the shop in my 1am stress over the table of how I roughly wanted it. We all had our input with all the regulations to make sure we can do this right and try and build the building to resist a lot of the hurt that we have been through this time."
"It's the best you can get. If it doesn't work, well, I give up," Mr Butcher said.
The plan:
- Stainless steel studs to create straight, smooth walls over the old brickwork
- Studs clad in fibro-cement sheeting covered in stainless steel panels sealed with silicon
- Services such as electricity will be housed in the cavity behind the panels
- Floor stripped back to polished concrete with an epoxy coating
- Rear of the building bricked up and reinforced with steel to prevent water entering
- Cool room strapped down and embedded in concrete to stop it floating away
- Two by 2.4-metre-high sliding doors at the front of the shop allowing water to flow in
- Machinery and equipment mounted on castor wheels, ready to be rolled out the doors as the next flood approaches
- As an existing business, there is no requirement for a new development application for the works
Working with council to cut red tape
He has calculated the rebuild at about $400,000 but said the budget was starting to bite as he had engaged tradespeople willing to get started quickly rather than wait for those who could do it cheaper.
His advice to anyone considering a rebuild. Be proactive and work with the council to try to cut through red tape.
"We sat down at a table like it was in the old days."
Mr Butcher said the council had assured him they would do an assessment before the shop re-opened, and if he had documentation to show he had carried out the works as discussed, he would get the green light.
"The town is hurting. The council is hurting. We've got to put some trust in one another and get it going. Let's hope we can rebuild this town."
"We are never going to control the water, but hopefully, we can withstand it, so we are not out of play too long. Downtime, in and out, clean up and off we go again."
