‘The water has come up before, but never this high’

Marjie’s Place in Price Street has been a beloved family business for 20 years, but last week saw siblings Gail and Jim Head, pictured, going through the heartbreaking process of sifting through the mud to salvage what they could from the wreckage.

“The water has come up before, but never this high,” Gail said. “It is generally about 7 to 8 metres below the level of the building. The force with which it has flooded the shop is absolutely shocking. It picked up the fridge, tipped it over and moved it across the room.

“When I got down here and looked in the front door, I could barely comprehend what I was looking at.”

The water levels rose to around a metre inside the shop, leaving most of the stock in ruins. “There may be a few things that we will be able to salvage, but most of it is going to have to go to the dump,” said Gail.

“I travel all around the place, as far south as the Hunter Valley to source my stock and the shop is always full of very unique and special pieces. I had just bought a beautiful antique stereogram and it will have to be thrown out. It breaks my heart.”

Gail was grateful for the support from friends and family, and will now have to contemplate how to move forward.

“It is what it is,” she said. “We just have to get through the next stage, and try to figure out what to do next.”