Elmhurst residents Bob and Lene Horvath are one of the millions of Australians facing greater hardship and financial stress than ever before.
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With the rising cost of living, serious health issues, and post-Covid financial conditions impacting Ararat and the surrounding areas, they describe the last few years as "extremely challenging".
During the recent floods in October 2022, they lost fencing, electrical wiring and trees, while serious health issues impacted their ability to rectify the problems.
They coped through the help of neighbours, friends, and the prisoners' assistance program, and with a positive attitude, Bob and Lene persevered.
On October 13 2022, their 70-acre property flooded to 1.1-metre-high waters.
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According to Bob, the narrow creek on their property, which is usually dry in summer, instantly expanded to 30-metre-wide powerful rapids.
"The floodwaters uprooted the electrical wiring 400 metres down to the electrical box. Wires and fencing were everywhere. Trees smashed into the fences and over the road," he said.
As the fences were destroyed, cows roamed loose, and livestock escaped onto the roads. Health challenges prevented the couple from being able to do a lot of the heavy lifting as Bob suffers from cervical dystonia and psoriatic arthritis and was in and out of the hospital at the time.
"We prayed a lot because we didn't know how to fix it. I couldn't physically move my arm," Bob said.
"Our neighbours tried to help me get the tractor to the fence line, but we couldn't even cross the road as it was filled with trees and water. It was very isolating, we felt helpless."
Community support, financial aid, and their faith were vital to Bob and Lene to help them cope and remain positive during the floods.
"We felt the community spirit. Our friends came to the rescue. Some were waist-deep in the water putting up 1.2-metre-high fences, and cutting trees with chainsaws. Others were bringing food so we were sustained," he said.
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"Our neighbour donated thousands of dollars worth of high-quality fencing. Covid has made all fencing supplies too expensive for us, so this was a blessing."
In December, the local prison reached out to Bob and worked with the Pyrenees Shire Council to facilitate the repair work.
"The State Manager for Prisons Victoria supervised prisoners to help with the restoration work. We were amazed by the overwhelming support that happened so quickly," Bob said.
Friends from the local Ararat Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses provided emotional and spiritual support.
Lene said it was a unique situation.
"Our friends came to help at the right time. They called and sent so many messages to see if we were alright," she said.
Bob said that despite being worse off financially he and Lene felt more hopeful thanks to the spiritual routine and the help they received at such a critical time.
"We're excited to be involved in a special volunteer work," he said.
"We're inviting all in the community to an encouraging talk on April 2, called 'You can face the future with confidence.' at 10:00 am at the Ararat Kingdom Hall, 2 Gordon St."
Lene said their personal experience taught them that no matter what happened, they could feel confident that they could get through it with positive hope.
Bob agrees with his wife.
"You have to put your faith in the help at hand. You have to look forward to the fact that you will get the support when you need it," he said.
"It was the community, our congregation, everyone rallied together."
