Page 32 - Australasian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2022

People matter
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PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2022
IN FULL FLOOD
OUR SINCERE SYMPATHY TO THE MANY COLLISION REPAIR BUSINESSES WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY FLOODING OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. HERE’S MINARELLI SMASH REPAIRS’ STORY.
N OT A LOT CAN PREPARE YOU for a natural disaster of the kind
experienced in Lismore NSW. On February 28th, 2022, Min- arelli Smash Repairs was complete- ly inundated by flood waters. They had spent the previous day executing their flood plan by removing all the vehicles from the workshop and lifting tools, equipment, paint and the contents of 15 years in business up high and onto
the mezzanine floor.
Unfortunately, the premises was inun-
dated by 3.5 metres of water which reached the top of the spray booth. The entire business was under water. Own- ers Matt and Tracy Dwyer said “Walk- ing into your business for the first time after the muddy water has subsided is one of the most confronting and difficult challenges we’ve ever faced as business owners. It is heartbreaking and the fi- nancial impacts are incomprehensible. It is like starting over again, only this time with a workshop full of damaged equipment but starting again is what we have chosen to do.”
It took around 12 weeks to clean and repair the workshop to the point of trad- ing again. The booth had to be virtually dismantled and rebuilt and it cost $9,500 just to fix the control panel. Even though they had cleared the shop and put equip- ment up high, they couldn’t have predict- ed the huge quantity of water that would push through in an area of Lismore that hadn’t flooded for over 35 years. Their brand new Car-O-Liner welder was ru- ined along with everything else they couldn’t carry out of there.
TOP AND RIGHT: Everything was stored up high on the mezzanine but the water came so high is washed it all downstairs. After the flood, a lot of work, a lot of money but they are back repairing the communities’ cars.