By Colin MacGillivray
WHILE Seymour’s flood waters have receded, the road to a complete recovery remains long and winding for many local businesses and community groups.
Goulburn Regional Partnership chair Stuart Locke said many businesses remained closed as they renovated their interiors following October’s floods.
“[A lot of businesses are] at various phases of renovation depending on access to tradies and skilled labour that they need to get their outlets back up and running,” he said.
“There are some shops in the Wallis Street precinct that I know are still being fitted out internally, and while some businesses might be functioning, they’re functioning remotely … until their offices are refurbished.”
Mr Locke said many businesses along Emily Street were also still dealing with the fallout of the flooding, including real estate company A Little Birdie Told Me and the Wattle Motel.
“Little Birdy got flooded on their lower level, but they put everything into their upper office because they knew it was coming,” he said.
“Downstairs the water came through and totally destroyed everything. They had to cut their lounge suites up with chainsaws because the lounge suites got soaked with water and were too heavy to move.
“The owner is very pragmatic about it. He’s treating it almost as a bit of a joke. He said ‘it was getting a bit tired downstairs anyway and it was time for a change’.”
Mr Locke said even businesses that were untouched by floodwaters were affected by the disaster.
“We’ve got a number of businesses in our area, not just in Seymour but on the outskirts in places like Tallarook and Trawool – especially those in the accommodation and hospitality space – who are suffering from people cancelling bookings to come up and stay the night or dine out because they think everything’s shut,” he said.
“Trawool Estate has had massive cancellations because people assumed, incorrectly, that they couldn’t get there because roads would be closed or rivers would be flooded.
“A lot of publicity went out about roads being damaged and people hitting potholes on the Hume Freeway. All of that might have been the case for 24 hours, but it’s weeks later and only slowly is the business coming back.
“Trawool Estate copped a lot of cancellations and they were totally unaffected by the floods.
“It’s hard on businesses that are ready to go and have people cancelling.”
Mr Locke said the owners of the Wattle Motel were living with a Seymour family as they raced to get their business reopened.
“They’re hoping to be back open by Christmas, because they traditionally have really high occupancy rates around then,” he said.
Mr Locke said limited access to tradespeople hampered the ability of businesses to recover quickly.
He said the State Government and Mitchell Shire Council could help Seymour residents by offering on-ground support in addition to the grant options provided.
“[Local businesses] need funding to help keep them going, but also to help with the supply chain and tradespeople to get their businesses back up and running,” he said.
“There are only so many tradies in the area, so what do you do? It’s a waiting game, and every week you have to wait is another week you’re not earning any money.
“A support package for those people is crucial if we’re to keep them reopening their doors.
“We don’t want them to say ‘stuff this, it’s too hard’. I know of one business who has chosen to sell their stock, hand back their lease to the landlord and walk away.”

Council assets
Mitchell Shire Mayor and Seymour resident Fiona Stevens said multiple community facilities and parks remained closed due to flood damage.
She said council and its insurers would implement a sanitisation and dehumidification project at affected facilities.
“Kings Park has been significantly impacted and closed, with all but the football and netball pavilion having been inundated and the surrounds being heavily contaminated,” she said.
“We are supporting community groups to find alternative spaces to meet and hold activities and events in the interim.
“Building rectification works will follow and our aim is to be ready for the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo.”
Cr Stevens said the Old Courthouse, which houses the Seymour Visitor Information Centre and other user groups, was also ‘significantly impacted’ and would not reopen until at least early 2023.
“We’re working to find a location to provide temporary visitor information centre facilities and are working with user groups to make alternative arrangements,” she said.
“Major parks such as Goulburn Park and Lions Park are also closed until facilities are decontaminated, repaired and they are safe to re-open.
“It has not yet been possible to get heavy equipment in to properly inspect large fallen and compromised trees in the parks.”
Cr Stevens said the total financial impact of the floods remained unclear.
“We’re working with our insurance company to understand the cost and we’re also working with business and community groups on their losses and helping them access available grant relief,” she said.
“We have a council team dedicated to the recovery tasks and have also identified key roles moving forward that will be immersed in every aspect of recovery, including a dedicated recovery manager to lead a team in Seymour.
“We understand the journey ahead will be tough, and council, in partnership with the Victorian Government will continue working with the community to get Seymour back on track as soon as possible.”