Rising together – floods doco uncovers camaraderie

A DOCUMENTARY celebrating the unsung heroes of the 2022 floods is raising much-needed funds to help survivors of the natural disaster get back into their homes.

Mick Fanning, who lives just over the Queensland border, stars in the social enterprise documentary Washed Away, which costs less than $14 to stream online.

The surfing champion played a pivotal role in delivering supplies throughout the Northern Rivers on a surf ski during the devastating floods and raising awareness through the media.

The documentary also features a soundtrack of songs by Australian artists including Tex Perkins, Pete Murray and Silverchair.

Perkins, who lives in the hills near Lismore, said it was sad to see so many houses still sitting empty and he was happy to contribute to the cause via his music.

“The floods were a tragedy of biblical proportions and there are still plenty of people without homes,” he said.

“When it happened, we were trapped in our valley for a few days because of landslides and rockslides and as soon as the rain eased there were people with bobcats and backhoes clearing the rock away.

“When we went into Lismore to volunteer, I have never seen devastation and destruction that bad first-hand, but I have also never seen such a strong sense of community spirit and humanity.”

That mateship and camaraderie is a major focus of the documentary, which covers recovery efforts in the region from Grafton north to Chinderah.

Washed Away producer Lyndall Murray said half of the money raised through pay-per-view streams of the film will go to the Hands and Hearts Project, which helps flood survivors buy tradies’ time and materials to rebuild.

The volunteer-driven initiative, alongside the Mick Fanning Charity Golf Day, has raised more than $200,000 so far.

“If we get one million views that will be 120 homes we can make more liveable,” Ms Murray said. “If we can get 15 million views, we can fix all 4,000 homes that are still affected and solve the problem.”

To stream the documentary visit washedaway.com.au