An Otford woman has thanked the community for their generosity in helping her and her family after a tree crushed their home last week.
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The Wendts were awoken in the early hours of Thursday morning when a 40-metre gum tree came crashing down on their Domville Road home.
Monica Wendt said they heard a crackling noise in the middle of the night and waited for a branch to fall; having lived in Otford for 27 years, it was a common occurrence.
But then the tree fell and everything changed.
Monica and Shaun's bedroom bore the brunt of the impact and it wasn't until the next day, Monica said, that they realised concrete retaining walls had probably saved their lives.
She said the couple's older son Rhys, 17, was "amazing", leaping into action to get his 12-year-old brother Max out and ensure he was safe.
The couple and their sons Rhys, 17, and Max, 12, are staying in a hotel while they await insurance assessors to look at the damage.
"We're solely concentrating on making things normal for the kids," Monica said.
Friends and neighbours Natasha Watson and Donna McManus started up a GoFundMe to raise money to help the family in this difficult time.
At the time of publication, the online fundraiser had collected more than $10,500, which Monica said had blown them away.
She said the costs of day-to-day living had started to mount up quickly and this money would help them find somewhere to rent while they waited to move back to Otford, and get their lives back to normal as soon as possible.
They had received many offers of assistance, she said, and even people they didn't know had donated and "shown love and care".
"Without the support and generosity and love of the community, I don't know where we would have gone and what we would have done," Monica said.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
