Darran King, his family and staff at Toyworld Seymour said they could not thank the community enough for the help it gave local businesses fearing a repeat of the 2022 floods.
“It was a real case of uncertainty yesterday (January 8),” Mr King said.
He and his wife Cheryl had only taken over the business in March. As Seymour residents, they were aware of the potential for flooding, but they were still surprised by how quickly the Goulburn River rose.
“The water came up very quick, but luckily it was quite low to start with,” Mr King said.
With the waters rising and an ‘evacuate immediately’ order issued just before lunchtime on Monday, January 8, local business owners were worried.
Particularly with many having only recently recovered from the October 2022 floods.
But Mr King said a lot of that anxiety was alleviated by the incredible assistance local businesses received from volunteers who helped out with the sandbagging effort.
“I can’t say thank you enough,” he said.
“The volunteers were great, particularly over at the sandbagging area.
“Getting there was a big issue to some, as one side of the town was blocked off.
“But with all the help from the community, we were ready.”
It was a case of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best for the Kings, and they were very happy the sandbags didn’t need to be tested, with waters receding before inundating the central business district.
“Yep, we’ll be open (Wednesday), which is a great outcome compared to what might have been,” Mr King said.
While it was a worry for business owners in the centre of town, closer to the Goulburn River, the anxiety increased.
Leigh Bushell Lowe and husband Paul, who run the Royal Hotel, were keeping a very close eye on water levels.
“We did sandbagging, but the pub was untouched, thankfully. It was pretty scary,” Ms Bushell Lowe said.
“Paul and I were fairly sure the pub would be okay and tried not to panic, but it was a difficult day for us.
“It brought back the memories of October 2022 and the devastation it caused us and so many others in the town and surrounds.
“Doing that walk down to the river to see how far it had come up was emotionally triggering.
“Some of our staff have had homes impacted by the flood, and we’ve lost a day of trade which, during that quiet time after Christmas and New Year, really hurts.
“We’ve overcome worse though. We’ll keep working through it.”