Prime Minister Tony Abbott may not have brought his cheque book to Dungog but he received a warm welcome when he toured the flood-ravaged town on Wednesday and even obliged some young residents with a selfie or two.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He met emergency workers and victims of the April superstorm and listened to the details of their ongoing recovery.
It was the first time Mr Abbott had been to Dungog since the natural disaster, which claimed three lives, damaged 82 homes and left 139 people to find temporary accommodation.
He did not announce any funding or extra support during his visit, which was aimed at boosting morale in the town.
The Prime Minister had a beer at the Bank Hotel before he visited Dungog Community Centre and heard about the challenges that the staff had faced since the storm.
“You’ve risen to the challenge, that’s the main thing,” he told them.
An afternoon tea was then held at Doug Walters Pavilion, where he mingled with Dungog residents for more than an hour.
Despite being in Gallipoli for the Anzac Day Centenary commemorations when the storm hit the Hunter, Mr Abbott said he phoned Paterson MP Bob Baldwin frequently in the days after the natural disaster.
“I am very proud of the way local people rallied to the cause,” Mr Abbott said.
“I’ve had a chance to talk to quite a few [people] who were part of the immediate response.
“I’ve had a chance to talk to people who suffered in the first instance and I’ve had a chance to talk to the people who are still working to bring Dungog and the surrounding district back to normal.
“When a bad thing happens it takes years and years to recover.”
Mr Abbott said he felt the need to visit Dungog because, even though the region received a lot of attention in the immediate aftermath of the storm, he was aware that the community could begin to feel alone as the public attention began to fade.
“Amid a fair bit of trauma I have seen a lot of optimism and stoicism,” he said.
A beer and a chat with the locals at The Bank Hotel
It’s not every day that a Prime Minister visits Dungog – it’s even less frequent that the nation’s leader shouts everyone a beer.
Tony Abbott slapped a $50 note on the bar when he walked into The Bank Hotel at Dungog on Wednesday afternoon, during a visit to boost morale in the disaster stricken town.
He spent about 15 minutes in the pub mingling with Dungog residents and some political colleagues while he drank a schooner of beer.
The bartender said it was the first time that a Prime Minister had dropped into the watering hole for a drink.
We just want to go home Mr Abbott
Dungog resident Lyn Dickson says she wants to be able to move back into her home.
The Alison Court resident has been in temporary accommodation since the superstorm hit Dungog on April 21, more than 10 weeks ago.
Ms Dickson confronted Prime Minister Tony Abbott as he was leaving Dungog Community Centre on Wednesday afternoon and pleaded with him to help her and her neighbours get back into their storm-damaged units.
“We just want to go home,” she told Mr Abbott.
Ms Dickson told the Mercury that she and her neighbours still did not know when, or whether, they would be able to return to their units.
Some residents have been allowed to go back, but Ms Dickson said she was one of three women still unable to go home to Alison Court.
Colin Webb, 79, died when a torrent of water raged through the unit complex on April 21.
“We will never forget the suffering and we will do our damndest to ensure that you [Dungog community] are not alone as you recover from a night of awful trauma.”
Mr Baldwin said the April disaster caused damage across the region.
“It was all the way across to Vacy, Torryburn, Paterson, Mindarriba, Port Stephens, Stroud, Clarence Town - nowhere was untouched by this storm,” he said.
“It was worse than in 2005 and, in parts, the flood levels were worse than the 1955 flood. It was the 55 flood that started the SES in Australia.”
