FOR Logan-proud Sarah Weir community service is more than something she does in her spare time, it’s all about helping people and giving back to the Logan region.
“I think I just like helping people – that’s really how it all started,” she said.
“I feel it’s really important to serve and be involved in your community.
“Instead of sitting around waiting for somebody to come and help you or rescue you, be a little bit more proactive and, you know, get out and do things and help each other.”
Last summer, Weir did just that working with the Rotary Club of Jimboomba, where she co-ordinated the running of emergency relief support services from the Jimboomba Community and District Hall, where she is the venue manager, to help those impacted by the ‘Christmas Day Tornado’.
The group offered meals, food donations, access to laundry services and a safe place for the community, while Weir also provided regular online updates and worked with relevant stakeholders during the storm clean-up to support the community.
She continues to actively support families by referring them to additional support services when needed.
“When a storm hits somewhere like Jimboomba, when we lose power – we lose access to all services,” she said.
“There’s no communications from the majority of people, no water, no septic – you literally end up swimming in your own poo in your backyard.
“We’ve all been through storms where we lose power for a couple of days, but the heat and longevity of it was what was the biggest impact.
“We were fortunate that we’re on the same power grid as the emergency services.
“We (the Community Centre) got power back within three days because the emergency services have to have their power.
“It was just a matter of I had a building that had power and air conditioning, so why not use it and open it up to the community?
“There were a few days where it was above 42 degrees and almost 100% humidity.
“Kids were home on school holidays with parents who are stressed trying to clean up their properties and whatnot, all while you’re dealing with it in a heat wave, with no power, with kids who are traumatized because of what they’ve been through.
“I wanted to offer more than just a building.”
Weir said that the impact of the storms were felt months after they struck, with the last of the residents effected having their power turned on the week before the Local Council elections on March 16.
“Between Jimboomba and Tamborine, we were the worst impacted.
“It was the longevity of the impact.
“Even though most of Brisbane, Logan and Gold Coast were back to normal – we still had people living off generators for three months later.
“At $75 to 100 bucks a day to run a generator, that’s a pretty big financial impact adding to the toll.”
By day, Weir runs an accounts department for a software company saying that ‘disaster management is not my field’ with a laugh, but she wouldn’t have it any other way giving back to her community at every opportunity.
Weir was seen as a beacon of hope during the natural disaster event for her fellow Jimboomba residents and Logan community, recognised as Logan’s Volunteer of the Year and receiving the Frank Lenz Memorial Award in recognition of her service.
“It was an honour and a shock,” Weir said.
“It was an honour to be nominated.
“You go to the award breakfast function, you’re in a room with a few hundred people who have dedicated their whole lives to doing things within the community.
“It was an honour to be nominated, but then to actually win I was blown away.”
She has since opened a community pantry, opened every Sunday offering free meals and grocery items to the Jimboomba and surrounds community.
Weir attended Kingston Primary and then went on to be a ‘Kingston College girl’, as she said she could not imagine living anywhere else.
“I said a few times over Christmas that I wouldn’t want to live anywhere.
“It’s a big city, but still has that small town feel.
“A lot of the time, we in Logan can sometimes feel a little bit forgotten about, especially on the outskirts.
“We have to rally together to make sure that we all look after each other.”
