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Appleberries Beenleigh shares story of resilience in the face of adversity
Jason Roberts
Aug 06, 2024
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The team at Appleberries Beenleigh, a 65 place long day care centre in South East Queensland, got the shock of their career when they turned up to work on 2 January 2024 to find their centre not only flooded but badly damaged from a major storm cell that passed over the community the night before. 
Like many centres located in the path of the storm that fateful day started with a panicked phone call from the opening team members followed inevitably by some tough decisions having to be made by senior leadership.
Lead educator Sarah contacted area manager Mark at 6:00 am advising him that water was making its way into the building through a leak in the roof, and was at the point of coming in through the doors thanks to flooding in the courtyard area.
“The kitchen was like a lake,” Sarah recalled, “with rivers of water flowing out of the ceiling and down the walls, and with the added rising water from the courtyard outside, it was a scary place to be in.”
In addition to the challenges posed by the water, the wind was so wild, it had blown a fence over and branches all over the yard.
Taking note of the situation Mark and Sarah concluded it would be impossible to open safely, and made the difficult decision to close the service, advising the families of the circumstances.
Given the extent of the damage the team had no choice but to close while the site was made safe, and with the uncertainty on timing for the service to be reopened, and their need to be at work, some parents had to make the difficult decision to leave and seek care elsewhere.
“This was a difficult time for our team, families and children,” Andy Reid, Appleberries CEO said.
“To think that we were forced to close at this crucial time of the year was so disappointing but actually was unavoidable. We are just so grateful that everyone was so understanding and showed so much concern at this challenging time.”
The service was able to reopen relatively quickly, with Departmental approval granted just eight days after the closure, however given the extent of the damage sustained the service was operating with reduced numbers as further repairs to the kitchen, toilet and staff room spaces were carried out.
The following weeks and months saw the presence of tradespeople in the service, with plastic sheeting hanging from the ceilings while the roof dried out, and with an entire wall being removed and replaced by timber sheeting.
Builders worked diligently to return the service to its former glory, and now, seven months later, the service has celebrated its reopening with an open day, showcasing the new spaces, yard elements and flooring.
"I'm incredibly grateful to our amazing families, who have dealt with a disruption to the service for the last 7 months,” Mr Reid said.
For service manager Nicola Campbell, the new space has been worth the wait, and is one which she believes will re-energise her team, captivate children’s imaginations, and be one which provides parents with a warm and welcoming home away from home.
“We have now reopened, better than ever, and look forward to welcoming more families from around Beenleigh into our space” she said.
To learn more about Appleberries Beenleigh visit their website here.
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