The 2022 floods in the local area posed the biggest challenge Phil and Belinda Redhead had faced as owners of their wholesale plant nursery, Eumundi Palms, but hard work, patience, and QRIDA’s financial assistance have helped them resow a bright future for their enterprise.
Nestled in the peaceful outskirts of Eumundi, the Redhead’s Eumundi Palms nursery is a haven of flora and fauna, with a vast range of palms and other tropical plants.
But when floodwaters swept across South-East Queensland in 2022, Phil and Belinda could never have imagined the impact it would have on their business.
“We had a one-in-200-year flood which affected our business in a terrible way. One hundred per cent of the property was under water,” Phil said.
Phil and Belinda were able to get their dream plant nursery back on track and replace damaged stock and equipment with the help of a Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) Extraordinary Disaster Assistance Recovery Grant and Disaster Assistance Loan.
“QRIDA offered us an immediate $15,000 of what was a $75,000 grant package. The damage was so substantial that we met the criteria for the grant very quickly,” Phil said.
Phil encouraged other primary producers impacted by disasters to prioritise their mental wellbeing and contact their QRIDA Regional Area Manager to find out if any financial assistance is available.
“We shouldn’t hold onto these feelings and allow them to build into a state of depression, which I saw happen with many other businesses and nurseries during the floods and other terrible events,” Phil said.
“QRIDA allowed us, very quickly, to get back on our feet and we feel really proud of what we’ve built and what the future holds.”
During the QRIDA disaster financial assistance application process, Phil and Belinda accessed support from their local QRIDA Regional Area Manager for the Burnett, Cynthia Godden.
“Cynthia helped us realise that for us to get back on our feet, we would need more than just the grant, and that’s how we also received the $180,000 loan. This is what helped us rebuild, not just get over the disaster, but to move forward,” Phil said.
QRIDA’s network of regional area managers across Queensland play an important role helping local small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations access QRIDA’s disaster financial assistance.
“We come out onto premises to have a chat with the business owners and explain the application process,” Cynthia said.
“The most important things you’ll need for disaster assistance are your identification, financial accounts, and evidence of damage to your business.”
For more information about QRIDA’s disaster financial assistance, visit qrida.qld.gov.au or call 1800 623 946.
QRIDA administers financial assistance to disaster affected primary producers, businesses, and non-profit organisations under the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
