It was cold and wet but the flood-ravaged community of Lismore has been given a brief escape from reality with NSW’s State of Origin team visiting on Tuesday.
The Blues’ first training session ahead of next week’s series decider in Brisbane was held at Oakes Oval, right in the heart of the Northern Rivers town which was twice inundated during February’s devastating floods.
The oval still has no power, and one of the two grandstands is a construction site, but it didn’t matter to the 1000 flood-affected teenagers and their families invited to watch the session.
It was a rare chance to put some smiles on faces of people who have been through a disaster that is still very much ongoing.
Lismore mayor Steve Krieg said months after the floods there are still multiple issues in the community, including homes without power, others without running water as well as damaged roads and buildings.
Krieg says Lismore could lose 20 per cent of its population after the floods while it is expected to be about five years before the town fully recovers.
“Since it was announced that the Blues were coming, this has been a day that you can see the community has really been looking forward to so it’s been great,” Krieg told AAP.
“It’s almost like the whole town is suffering a bit of depression at the moment because we’re waiting for this reconstruction corporation to have the power to make a few of these bigger decisions about how we rebuild and where we rebuild and obviously bigger decisions than what a local council can make.
“It’s just a great opportunity for people to get out of their mundane rebuild where it’s a grind to be honest. It’s another day of scraping dirty paint off a wall or another day of trying to sand a timber floor.
“It’s just an opportunity to take your mind off that and realise that some of the best athletes in the country have taken the time to come to our town and show a bit of support.
“It means the world.”
Former NSW great Greg Alexander, who used the trip to also launch a road safety initiative, said the Blues would also take plenty away from their trip.
“It’s always important that the players do things that are community based,” Alexander told AAP.
“They’ve all got their own communities that they’re proud of and they realise that when someone’s doing it tough, they’re more than happy to come and put a smile on someone’s face, even if it’s only for the day.”
