Tradies to help flooded businesses

Local cabinet-makers Nick Fray (left) and Barry Kelly are ready to help rebuild Ipswich.

Rob Williams

Flood Crisis

Legacy

• Tributes to those lost in the Queensland floods

Related links

• Warning on flood donations
• Street with no insurance
• Mayor's campaign for city victims

HE might be a cabinet-maker by trade, but Barry Kelly has joined an army of south-east Queensland tradies signing up to help flood-ravaged Ipswich businesses get back on their feet.

Based at Raceview, the LRS Cabinet-making manager has signed up to a database being compiled by the Ipswich Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mr Kelly said the business was offering cabinet-making, kitchen restorations and repairs.

He said a message through social networking site Facebook had alerted him to the database.

Mr Kelly said he had seen the devastation first-hand after assessing a home in North Booval.

“It was heartbreaking seeing what is out there,” Mr Kelly said.

“We were looking for a way to assist and keep the business open.”

He encouraged those looking for tradespeople to keep their search local and to check that they were officially Building Services Authority (BSA) registered.

Chamber president Michael Munt said in addition to tradies, the database also featured a range of other business services such as bookkeepers.

“While every business can’t donate their services for free, they are doing what they can to help, even if it is just making gaps in their diaries to help get people up and running,” Mr Munt said.

“It goes to show Ipswich as a community pulls together in times of crisis, and the business community is no different; we are all working together to help each other.”

Mr Munt said the database was being updated daily as offers came in, with those able to lend a hand encouraged to sign up.

He said the wider community was also able to access the site.

Available through the chamber’s specially designated online “flood” page, the site also includes information from the banks, insurance companies and the Queensland government.

“It is the one-stop portal for business,” Mr Munt said.

For more, visit the website, www.ipswichchamber.org.au.