Over many decades Forth veterinarian Jim Reilly always put his community first.
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He’d turn out to 2am calls for help, take potatoes and eggs as payment and generally put the well-being of his patients and their owners above himself.
So when the Forth River rose on Monday, June 6, and the Reilly’s house and property was inundated, the community rallied behind him.
“Jim Reilly has been a tremendous asset to the area,” Forth Lions Club president Peter Thompson said.
Floodwater was knee high in Mr Reilly’s house. It devastated his land, took his uninsurable plant, equipment and machinery and worst of all, snatched away precious generations of family memories and keepsakes.
“You just shake your head and say ‘oh dear me, I can’t hand those things onto my children and my grandchildren’,” Mr Reilly said.
Mr Reilly is the kind of person who is always putting others first. His first response to this story was, “I’m sure there are other people much worse off than I am”.
The challenge for Mr Reilly and his wife was to go from community caregiver, to the receiver of help.
“It’s been appreciated and embarrassing,” Mr Reilly said.
“It’s very humbling, and all the support we’ve received has been amazing,” added his wife, Lynda.
But a reluctant receiver of help he and his wife have become. A few weekends after the floods more than 50 friends and strangers arrived at the Reilly’s farms and started helping with the clean up.
Now, lead by the local Lions Club and Mr Reilly’s son, a grassroots crowd sourced fundraiser is under way.
Forth has the people, they have the machinery, they just need the money for supplies to help return some normalcy to a stoic and humble servant of his community.
The Lions Club is handing the financial side of things, including money from the crowdfunding campiagn, which can be found at www.gofundme.com/jim-lynda-help. The club is also handing the fencing rebuild.
“We’re hoping to work in conjunction with BlazeAid if they are available. If not we’ll just get in with local farmers and friends and help,” Mr Thompson said.
Forth Valley Blues Festival have got the ball rolling on the campaign with a $1000 donation as part of its wider flood relief activity. “Jim always helps us out with the festival,” a spokesperson said. “We knew that he need help and he’s always put back into the community.”