Vero Insurance volunteers visit the Bloomfield community a year after donating $25,000 in the aftermath of the Tropical Cyclone Jasper flooding event. Photo: Supplied.
After donating $25,000 to the Bloomfield community to help residents recover from the devastating impacts of the Tropical Cyclone Jasper flooding event, the Vero Insurance team decided it was time to pay a visit.
The group of young insurance brokers ditched the air-conditioned offices for four-wheel drives and an outdoor barbecue as they dropped in on 20 September.
Bloomfield received the money for its Tin Shed Disaster Hub Project in Ayton in 2024 as part of the Vero Young Broker of the Year grant. The donation is given to a local community affected by a major weather event, chosen by the five state finalists of the award program.
A year on, 20 volunteers visited the community to see flooding sites, listen to the stories of those affected, and witness the impact of their donation.
Bloomfield River District Residents Association secretary Robyn Guedes said the Tin Shed in Ayton was a lifeline during the flooding disaster, but it needed improvements.
“For the first time, it was used as a disaster hub during the floods,” she said. “But there was no kitchen facilities, there was a really rudimentary shower and a toilet, and no fans in the place.
“We needed to improve the Tin Shed and make it a better place for a disaster hub, and [on Saturday] they came to have a look and spend the day there.”
Ms Guedes said Vero staff also visited the community’s memorial rock for Ray Dark, who lost his life during the floods. Vero financed the memorial’s cementing, tiles and plaque.
“I took them down to Ray’s rock first, then to what was left of his house, just a slab with tiles on it near the rock,” she said.
“I took them there to give them a bit of an idea of the impact of the flood and what it had done.”
She said volunteers listened to residents’ stories over a barbecue, helped out with building modules for the Tin Shed kitchen, as well as enjoyed a day as part of the community with activities including weaving and a market day.
Ms Guedes said the donation and visit helped residents feel “seen” instead of being a small community often ignored.
“We felt extremely overlooked at the time of the flood; we had to really press to get help after the event – it was like we didn’t exist,” she said.
“I’m not making a complaint because they did come to the party, we did get assistance, we just had to make our voices heard to get it. But we were feeling a bit neglected at the time.
“This $25,000 was quite validating, that someone is looking out for us and values us enough to say we recognise you could do with some help.”
