SIX women from flood affected Rochester have been treated to a beach trip away thanks to the Rotary Club of Bendigo.<\/p>\n
As part of the club\u2019s STAR Thrower project, the beach retreats initiative is intended to provide relaxation, enjoyment and provide a bit of a reset for women impacted by natural disasters.<\/p>\n
The six Rochester women got the chance to head to Point Lonsdale on Tuesday for their escape and are the first participants in the program since it was shut down during COVID-19.<\/p>\n
The Rotary Club of Bendigo\u2019s Larissa Wasiljew was on hand at Bendigo station to meet the women as they stopped over on their way to the beach and gave them goodie bags before the next leg of their trip.<\/p>\n
Ms Wasiljew said the seaside stay would hopefully rejuvenate the women and help up lift them when they returned to their flood affected region.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them are living in government housing, been moved out of Rochester into other towns so they are away from their community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can help them get back on an even keel then the big hope is that come back refreshed and renewed to keep fighting in re-building their community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Wasiljew said this was just the first cohort of women to be given the experience with more already planned.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll up this time round its 36 women who will be going,\u201d she said \u201cTuesday, 14 March is the date they have slated for the next group of women.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the women excited for the trip was Judy Anderson, who said a change of scenery was exactly what she needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be nice to not have to see it and deal with it for a couple of days and get out of the caravans for a while,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Another participant, Heather Darbyshire, said things are still very grim at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe majority of houses in Rochester are empty,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just so sad.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SIX women from flood affected Rochester have been treated to a beach trip away thanks to the Rotary Club of Bendigo. As part of the club\u2019s STAR Thrower project, the beach retreats initiative is intended to provide relaxation, enjoyment and provide a bit of a reset for women impacted by natural disasters. The six Rochester […]<\/p>\n