A SIMPLE act of kindness reflected the spirit in flood-ravaged Sussex Inlet on Thursday.
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Jim Chivers, 77, who lives at South Sussex Inlet, needed medication.
He drove as far as he could to get to the main street of the flooded village before reaching road closed signs.
With the help of two walking sticks he started making his way along the flooded edge of River Road, when resident Julie Sigsworth, whose own property was inundated, came to his aid.
Mrs Sigsworth took Mr Chivers’ scripts and walked through the floodwaters to get his medication, even hitching a ride back in a four-wheel drive.
“She’s an angel,” Mr Chivers said.
Both long-time Sussex residents, Mrs Sigsworth 34 years and Mr Chivers 30 years, said they had never seen flood waters so high.
“Only once has it got into our granny flat and it only lapped through the floorboards. This time we had four inches flow through it,” Mrs Sigsworth said.
“This is the highest I’ve ever seen it.
“The gods must have been with us, it didn’t get into the house. The water was a couple of centimetres from coming in and stopped.”
She joked about having water views, describing it as the “Riviera of the South Coast”.
“What else can you do?” she said.
“[Flooding] is going to come and go, you just have to ride it out. It’s what nature does.
“We have everything lifted in the house, it’s a shambles but it can wait a couple of days before we put it back together to make sure there is no more rain and the water won’t rise again.”
Mr Chivers was thankful his home was high and dry.