Nerriga Hotel raises $7000 for Lismore community groups devastated by floods

From Friday to Sunday, the country pub scrapped the usual menu and fired up the spit, for a weekend-long charity barbecue in aid of Lismore flood survivors.

Over the three days, sales of sausages, meat and gravy rolls, and steak sandwiches raised $7000. The money will be split between the Lismore Men's Shed and the Lismore CWA.

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Publican Phil Smith said the fundraising weekend was a no-brainer for the pub team.

"Since the floods and everything up north happened so badly, we wanted to do something," he said.

"After the fires two years ago, we were given so much and the community was given so much support. A lot of the support we got [during the fires] came from the north - there was a lot from all over Australia.

"So we got talking, decided to close the kitchen, and put on the barbecues and spit roast."

The Smiths chose the Men's Shed and CWA as beneficiaries so the money would go directly to locals on the ground.

Mr Smith said he and partner Sarah appreciate the important work both groups are doing to help their communities recover from the disaster.

"Both the Men's Shed and CWA were heavily impacted by the floods. Even though they have lost everything, they are still helping to feed the community and help rebuild homes, schools and daycares," he said.

"We thought if we can help them buy new tools, then they can keep going and moving forward.

"There's also the mental health aspect, which is important... there is going to be a lot of trauma up there, and these are organisations which will keep giving back to the community once they are back on their feet."

Another local business also got on board with the fundraiser - John Reminis and his team at Bakehouse Delights in East Nowra donated all of the bread for the weekend. Mr Smith said he "can't thank them enough for their generosity."

The bakehouse is a long-time supporter of the Nerriga community, having donated bread when the region was hit by bushfires in 2020.

Over the three days, Nerriga Hotel served up around 400 rolls and sandwiches. The special event attracted locals and visitors alike, with some travelling from as far as Penrith for the occasion.

By chance, one group of travellers were closely connected to the cause.

"We had a couple of people on bikes come through, they were originally from Lismore. One of the guys, his parents had suffered a fair bit," he said.

"They were pretty happy to see something going on, you know, it meant a lot to them to see people caring.

"It's great now to be in a position to give back when it's needed... and I think it's more than just the money. The thought of people caring and doing things, it is uplifting."