Settling in: John Wolfe spent nine months living in a caravan at the Emergency Recovery Victoria site at Elmore. Last week he arrived at his new ‘home’, a cabin at Rochester Caravan Park — not far from his home at Restdown Village, which was flooded in October last year.
John Wolfe was like a kid with a new toy when he was handed the keys to his new temporary accommodation at Rochester Caravan Park last week, ending a nine-month stay at Emergency Recovery Victoria’s Elmore site.
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Residents from the Elmore site, which is now officially closed, have been moved to alternative accommodation at the Pascoe St caravan park.
Final preparations was being completed on the 20 cabins last week ahead of the arrival of the new residents.
Mr Wolfe, who was a long-time café operator in Rochester, was flooded out of his Restdown Village home — which is a stone’s throw from his current cabin accommodation — in October last year.
He arrived at the Elmore site on November 1 and officially moved out on August 8.
“They reckon we won’t be back in at Restdown until Christmas,” Mr Wolfe said.
“Half of the residents were forced out due to the floods, but several on the other side of the village were not flooded at all.”
Mr Wolfe said compared to the caravan that he called home at Elmore, the new cabin was “luxurious’’.
“I will not miss the walk to the showers,” he said.
“This is a really good set-up.”
Mr Wolfe was extremely appreciative of the work of all the service organisations that provided him and many other individuals and families with a home during the flood displacement.
“They did a good job out there and the move in here has been good. Quite a few of my neighbours from Elmore have moved in with me,” he said.
Mr Wolfe was offered support with his application for continued emergency accommodation assistance by the Anglicare organisation, which has co-ordinated the management of displaced Rochester residents.
Negotiations with caravan park owners Mick and Rita Haisman have resulted in the Rochester residents being able to return and continue living in “cut-priced’’ accommodation.
Like so many Rochester residents, Mr Wolfe is no newcomer to floods. His business of more than a decade, a corner store opposite Rochester Primary School, was closed after the 2011 floods.
Mr Haisman said the decision to offer his park up as a site for the emergency accommodation was made after much consideration.
“We had planned to continue the development of the park on the land that is now being used for the emergency accommodation,” he said.
“But being able to provide somewhere for these people to live, which is back in their home town, made it an easy decision.”
Mr Haisman said he had put off his intended expansion until after the arrangement with ERV expired.
“We have signed a three-by-one-year lease for the cabin sites with ERV (the first ends in June next year), which will be assessed at the end of every year,” he said.
Late last week, half of the 20 cabins were already occupied, with eight arrivals in a single day.
Mr Haisman said the arrangement, depending on the residents finding permanent accommodation, had no end date.
“We have met ERV in the middle on several issues. They are tapping into all our infrastructure, which is what made the site perfect,” he said.
He said the significant co-operation of Campaspe Shire Council, through the granting of permits, had made the residents’ transmission to the site smooth.
“They have been helpful. Our permit for the expansion of the park was current, which also helped,” he said.
The cabins’ site was not flooded during last October’s floods, as it is higher ground than the caravan park’s units, which were impacted.
Mr Haisman said all of the caravan park’s cabins were now occupied, with four or five residents having already been on site with the financial support of insurers.
He is now preparing to redevelop the camp kitchen that was destroyed by floodwaters, but will put on hold the 30-plus permanent living sites he had started building in recent years.
The Haismans have sold four permanent sites and were planning to use the land being used by ERV to continue that program.
Mr Haisman said he considered bringing people back to the town more important.
Six disability pods are among the cabins that have been moved to the park, with three three-bed cabins, a pair of two-bed cabins and 15 single cabins.
ERV is also working on the landscaping of the area that is now occupied by the cabins, which are being used for the second time after providing accommodation to victims of the Orbost bushfires.
Mr Haismsan said the cabins were well appointed, complete with new bedding, microwaves, couches and fridges.
"Overall, this is a win for all parties — the ERV, us and, in particular, the residents,“ he said.
Open for business: Half of the 20 cabins that were used by victims of the Orbost bushfires are now occupied, and final preparation work is being done on the remaining emergency accommodation pods for the return of Rochester people to their home town.
