Nundle Community Spirit
Reverend the Hon. Dr GORDON MOYES: On Saturday 6 May my wife and I travelled to Nundle for a very happy community celebration. Nundle has made a name for itself for the manner in which it has found new purpose and direction that has dramatically increased tourism to the town and added new employment opportunities. This was one of a series of visits I have made to this delightful Tablelands community, the first being after the disastrous floods of Christmas 2001. Nundle had suffered more than $5 million damage in November and December, and a further $800 million of damage was caused to the whole region, with massive crop losses. With the help of my staff at the Wesley Mission Sydney, we raised and distributed $250,000 in cash and food to the needy families. I gave gift cheques of $10,000 each to farmers who had lost their crops to help them to plant fresh crops after three years of losses. We also organised Christmas parties and left behind about $250,000 worth of food and goods that we had purchased locally.
At that time floods had washed away three major bridges. A young widow in the area had to drive around a steep back road by the Chaffey Dam after the main bridge was washed away. In doing so she had a single-vehicle accident that crippled her. She was trapped in the car and her injuries left her a quadriplegic. Mrs Naomi Newbury had not long buried her young husband who had tragically died from cancer. They had no children, but when I visited her in the Royal North Shore Hospital she had discovered that she was six months pregnant. Naomi had severe spinal injuries causing quadriplegia, but her unborn child survived. She became the first quadriplegic to carry a baby full term in 20 years. We visited Naomi at the hospital and supported her and her baby, Samuel. She was unable to nurse or bathe him because she was confined to a wheelchair. On behalf of the people of Sydney we presented her with a cheque for $10,000 to help cover some of her medical expenses.
Naomi spent three more months in the spinal unit, another three months at the rehabilitation unit at Ryde and another six months in the maternity section of Tamworth Base Hospital. However, her desire was to return to the peace, beauty and people of Nundle. Since early 2002 Naomi and her family have been living in a government house at Coledale, but Naomi’s mobility was restricted to the bedroom because her wheelchair was too wide for the doorways. We launched an appeal locally through the Nundle Community Welfare Foundation set up by Mr Bryce Bridges of Wesley Mission to raise $100,000. Following the telecast of the launch of that appeal, the Bunnings store in Tamworth indicated that it would be happy to supply every item required for the completion of a new house totally free of charge. The community would build a house for Naomi, her son, Samuel, and her carer, Nigel Hoad, to live in for as long as they chose. On 20 March the young family moved into the house in Nundle and Naomi is able to get in and out of every room with ease. She is now a regular traveller along Jenkins Street, accompanying Samuel to and from primary school.
The 80 people who helped to build the house celebrated its completion. Nundle Community Welfare Foundation trustee Peter Howarth undertook the project management. He said more than 80 individuals and businesses had contributed to building the house over the past four years. Austam Homes donated a house shell, Peter Howarth of Nundle and Wendy Emery of Bunnings Tamworth organised donations of materials and tradespeople, and New England Institute of TAFE carpentry and plumbing students completed a great deal of the work. It was my privilege as the patron and co-founder of the foundation to open Naomi’s house. I know that the Parliament joins with me in commending the community of Nundle, the 80 individuals and the others who helped to raise the money and who did the practical work to build a home for a remarkable lady who, although she is a quadriplegic, is bringing up her son in a creditable fashion. 23 May 2006.
