Terry Zarsoff
First Grader
I was reading the SMH this morning and thought, ‘I wonder if this is our former winger?’ I knew he had worked in fashion retail around the time he retired. Plus, you can still see the likeness to a younger Rod. Sure enough, it is him:
Lismore prepared for the worst. Now boxes are being unpacked as life returns to normal
By Riley Walter and Penry Buckley
Updated March 10, 2025 — 7.21pm
For days, business owners in Lismore worked desperately to prepare for flooding they feared could transport the town back to the devastation of 2022.
This time, as then-tropical cyclone Alfred closed in, they boxed stock, loaded refrigeration equipment onto trucks, enlisted the help of friends and family, and prepared for the worst.
Now, as the town looks to have escaped another natural disaster, the boxes are being unpacked, the trucks unloaded and the generous helpers recruited to return life to normal.
Despite the relief of avoiding a repeat of 2022, when the Wilsons River breached Lismore’s levee and inundated the town, it’s gruelling work.
But it has become a necessity for traders in the Northern Rivers town who say they can’t afford to insure against flooding, or can’t find an insurer that will cover them.
Rod Jackson, who owns the clothing store Woodhouse Denim, has taken the advice of many fellow business owners and opted to go without the cover, which could cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
“It’s unaffordable and very difficult to get,” Jackson said.
“I’ve been told categorically it’s not doable, and if it were doable, the cost would be out of the question for a small business like this.”
Jackson estimates he lost about $100,000 worth of stock in the 2022 floods and only reopened because of government relief packages that covered half of his losses.
Without insurance, he was left $50,000 out of pocket.
An earlier Lismore profile:
lismoreapp.com.au
Lismore prepared for the worst. Now boxes are being unpacked as life returns to normal
By Riley Walter and Penry Buckley
Updated March 10, 2025 — 7.21pm
For days, business owners in Lismore worked desperately to prepare for flooding they feared could transport the town back to the devastation of 2022.
This time, as then-tropical cyclone Alfred closed in, they boxed stock, loaded refrigeration equipment onto trucks, enlisted the help of friends and family, and prepared for the worst.
Now, as the town looks to have escaped another natural disaster, the boxes are being unpacked, the trucks unloaded and the generous helpers recruited to return life to normal.
Despite the relief of avoiding a repeat of 2022, when the Wilsons River breached Lismore’s levee and inundated the town, it’s gruelling work.
But it has become a necessity for traders in the Northern Rivers town who say they can’t afford to insure against flooding, or can’t find an insurer that will cover them.
Rod Jackson, who owns the clothing store Woodhouse Denim, has taken the advice of many fellow business owners and opted to go without the cover, which could cost him tens of thousands of dollars.
“It’s unaffordable and very difficult to get,” Jackson said.
“I’ve been told categorically it’s not doable, and if it were doable, the cost would be out of the question for a small business like this.”
Jackson estimates he lost about $100,000 worth of stock in the 2022 floods and only reopened because of government relief packages that covered half of his losses.
Without insurance, he was left $50,000 out of pocket.
An earlier Lismore profile:
SUNDAY PROFILE: Football, fashion and family woven together for Rod Jackson
Your local digital newspaper
lismoreapp.com.au
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