Beyond the Deluge: Flood Resilience Stories from the Hunter Valley

Kintsugi Heroes Originals
Kintsugi Heroes Originals
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Natural disasters are common in rural Australia, but there is something particularly devastating about floods. They sweep through towns and communities often without warning, and leave people to pick up the pieces. And unlike bushfires, there is no way for people to take measures to deter the ferocity of a flood. On July 6th 2022, a flood swept through Broke and the Hunter Valley in NSW, Australia and disrupted over 300 community members. It had been 70 years since a flood so dangerous and overwhelming had hit the town and they are still reeling from the effects today. Join John Milham as he talks to the Broke and Singleton Community each week and shares with us the trauma and adversity felt during the flood and how the strength and compassion of community in regional NSW has kept this town resilient and steadfast in the wake of trauma, anxiety and destruction. This is a special series of the Kintsugi Heroes Podcast. Beyond The Deluge is a story about what happens after the water recedes — when the news crews leave, the cameras stop rolling, and a community is left to rebuild not just their homes, but their sense of safety, identity, and belonging. Through honest, unhurried conversations with the people who lived it, this series captures the long, quiet work of recovery: the kitchen-table moments, the neighbours who showed up, the grief that doesn't follow a timeline, and the resilience that gets built one ordinary day at a time. It's a series about land, water, and the people who refuse to let a town be defined by its worst day. About what regional Australia really looks like when it's tested — and what holds it together when so much has been swept away. Whether you've lived through a natural disaster yourself, work in emergency response or recovery, or simply want to hear what community actually means in the face of crisis, Beyond The Deluge invites you to listen, learn, and witness. Kintsugi Heroes is an Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the power of storytelling. We believe lived experience is a gift to be shared, not a scar to be hidden. To find out more about Kintsugi Heroes and our other podcast series, head to KintsugiHeroes.com.au. Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi.heroes/ 👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Kintsugi-Heroes-100084850387170/ ❤️ Donate (tax-deductible): https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate/#donate

  1. Jul 30 ·  Bonus

    Complex trauma and self identity: Karl Germann's 20-year fog | Kintsugi Heroes

    The 20-year fog Karl grew up in apartheid South Africa in a wealthy but emotionally distant Austrian-South African family, experiencing what he now understands as complex trauma rooted in his mother's narcissism and his father's clinical detachment. For decades he dissociated, unaware he was queer until his late twenties when he met a partner and came out to indifference from his family. He moved to London at 27, then Australia, but remained numb and disconnected from himself until the last two years. Only recently, after leaving corporate work and experiencing a workplace sexual harassment case, has he begun to reclaim his creativity, healing practice, and authentic self. He now writes, mentors others in isolation, and teaches people that the answers we seek live in the quiet spaces we're taught to fear. Karl Germann is a queer South African-born Australian now based in Port Macquarie. He spent two decades navigating dissociation and emotional distance from a privileged but cold family before recognizing his lived experience as trauma. He has since become a Reiki practitioner, author of the children's book The Land Where Unicorns Are Made, and community support worker dedicated to healing and connection. In this Kintsugi Heroes conversation with John Dwyer, Karl shares the story behind the moments below. 🎙️ IN THIS CONVERSATION: • Dissociation and small-t trauma can persist silently for decades without dramatic incidents, rooted in emotional distance and hypervigilance from childhood. • Coming out as queer or reaching any milestone does not instantly resolve the foundational trauma that shaped you. • Authenticity attracts more meaningful connection and professional success than conformity or self-censorship ever will. 🕒 CHAPTERS: 00:00 Welcome and introduction 01:27 Growing up in apartheid South Africa 08:00 Dissociation, trauma, and the Austrian father 14:30 A narcissistic mother and emotional distance 19:22 Coming out as queer at 27 27:50 Leaving South Africa for London and Australia 35:00 Corporate work, authenticity, and walking away 41:00 Climbing Kilimanjaro and metaphors for life 46:35 Writing, creativity, and The Land Where Unicorns Are Made 50:14 Reiki practice and community connection through Ankali 54:20 Building community, smiling, and winning people over 57:51 Advice for younger selves and closing reflections 🎧 If this story moved you, follow Kintsugi Heroes in your podcast app so you never miss an episode. 📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED: Out of the Fog: outofthefog.website carlfox.com: carlfox.com Lightunitedreiki.com: lightunitedreiki.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ ABOUT KINTSUGI HEROES ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Welcome. We're glad you found your way here. Kintsugi Heroes was created from a simple belief: every person has a story worth sharing, and sometimes the story we need to hear arrives exactly when we need it most. Our name comes from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold. Rather than hiding the cracks, they are honoured as part of the object's history. We believe people are much the same. The experiences that challenge us, break us, shape us, and help us grow are often the very things that connect us to one another. This channel is home to honest conversations about resilience, hope, grief, recovery, courage, love, and what it means to keep moving forward when life doesn't go to plan. Here you'll find six podcast series, each sharing stories through a different lens: • Kintsugi Heroes, hosted by John Milham • Animals & Us, hosted by Natalie Stockdale • Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace, hosted by Simone Allan and Maryan Bova • From There to Here, hosted by Emma Bellamy-Dodd • Golden Threads: Stories of Disability & Resilience • Pride in Stories, hosted by John Dwyer (launching 31 July 2026) Every story shared here is offered with the hope that it helps someone feel a little less alone. A little more understood. A little more connected. Whether you're navigating a difficult season, supporting someone you love, or simply looking for meaningful conversations, you're welcome here. New episodes are released weekly across our series. If you'd like to help us keep these stories freely available to everyone, you can support our work here: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate Thank you for being part of this community. We help people tell the stories they need to share so others can discover the story they need to hear. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CONNECT WITH US ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🌐 https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes 📘 https://www.facebook.com/kintsugiheroes 📸 https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi.heroes 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/company/kintsugi-heroes #KintsugiHeroes #LivedExperience #ResiliencePodcast #PrideInStories #GoldenJoinery #QueerJourney #MentalHealth #Dissociation #AuthenticSelf #FamilyTrauma #HealingWork #CommunityConnection #CreativityHeals ——— Mentioned in this episode: Thank You For Listening Follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, or share your own story at kintsugiheroes.com.au. Your story matters. Support Kintsugi Heroes Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit, and every story we share is free for the people who need it. If this show has meant something to you, you can help us keep going. Visit kintsugiheroes.com.au and click donate. Every contribution helps us keep telling these stories, and it's tax-deductible.

    Complex trauma and self identity: Karl Germann's 20-year fog | Kintsugi Heroes

  2. 07/21/2024

    Being Local during Disaster and the Role of Magooney's Coffee Shop with Melissa O'Toole

    Melissa O'Toole, a well-respected Broke Village local, gives us her perspective on the floods both from her personal experience and from what is now a hub of the village, Magoony's Coffee House, which plays an important part in village life. Melissa and her husband Paul moved to Broke nearly 30 years ago with their family and had a couple of businesses. Her husband is a teacher at St Catherine's School in Singleton. She worked for 18 years in local businesses in the area, including Margan Wines. On their two-acre property on the outskirts of the village, they have a catering business, Motty's Farm Cuisine, and a guest house called Red Tractor Retreat. They had an antique shop many years ago and took on the old garage where they are now to open another antique shop, but have now turned it into a cellar door. Their son Ryan runs the now iconic Magoony's coffee house in the same location. Melissa highlights the challenges of rebuilding and finding strength in the face of the devastation caused by the floods and provides outstanding examples of neighbours and volunteers offering assistance and support. She describes how the community bonded and thrived amidst the challenging circumstances of a natural disaster and how places like the Broke Village Hall and Magoony's Coffee House enable people to gather and share their experiences and to continue to support those who are still dealing with the aftermath of the floods. Melissa has a positive but realistic outlook about the future of Broke, where floods are part of the history of their environment. ‘I think most likely there will be another flood…a lot of people have got their own views, but I don't have a concern for my future of living here. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It was one in a hundred-year flood. Maybe it's another hundred years.’ ***** We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes. Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group. If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories! Warmly, The Kintsugi Heroes team YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

    Being Local during Disaster and the Role of Magooney's Coffee Shop with Melissa O'Toole

  3. 07/14/2024

    A Love of Wollombi, Volunteering in the RFS & the Historic Pub with Chris Books

    Chris Brooks, the proprietor of the iconic Wollombi Tavern during the July 2022 flood, is a resilient and community-oriented individual. In the early eighties, when Chris was in the army he discovered the tavern during regular trips to Singleton. Originally a builder from Sydney, in 2016, he and his wife decided to buy a small hobby farm and drew a circle around two hours from Sydney, and Wollombi happened to fall into that circle. They looked at a few properties, from Goulburn up to Singleton, then found the property they liked in Wollombi. ‘I said to my wife, “I want to buy my little piece of Australia.” We lived in this stupid big house in Sydney, but we knew only the two people next door to us and people across the road.’ Chris mentioned to his friends that, ‘There’s this little pub there that I love, and if it ever came up for sale, I’d buy it.’ Which he did, in 2017. Passionate about preserving local history and traditions, Chris took on the challenge of running the historical pub, embracing its rich heritage dating back to the early 1800s. His commitment to Wollombi and its residents reflects his deep connection to the area and his unwavering dedication to preserving its unique character. Wollombi is a small village, ‘two hours from Sydney, but a long way from anywhere’. The tavern is one of the major focal points for the local community. For tourists, it’s the biggest attraction in the village. Despite facing numerous adversities, including bushfires, floods, and Covid lockdowns, Chris remained dedicated to the tavern and the community it served. As a volunteer firefighter, he embodies the spirit of service and resilience, facing challenges with determination and positivity. ***** We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes. Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group. If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories! Warmly, The Kintsugi Heroes team YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

    A Love of Wollombi, Volunteering in the RFS & the Historic Pub with Chris Books

  4. 07/07/2024

    Returning Home and the Flood Impacts on Broke Estate with Bernadette Tolson

    Bernadette lives with her husband, Max, on a property called Broke Estate on the outskirts of Broke where they have accommodation, a vineyard, and cattle. They were on other side of the road collapse that blocked of the local villages. Eventually they could get to Singleton but it was a few days before they could get into Broke. ‘It was scary because we were very isolated. We were on an island because there was water all around us, and the road to Singleton was closed. Our neighbours were also blocked off from us. We thought if we did get stuck there, we could go up into the ceiling and onto the roof, but we didn't think the flood would get that high. We had to stay calm.’ Their house was not flooded but they had many other challenges on the property including the need to rescue their livestock, but they were able to observe what was happening around them. ‘The connection to the village really came for us once the road opened, and we were able to go down and be part of the village and of that recovery check-in point at the community centre. It was like a war zone. It was very sad to see the devastation; it was dirty and wet. The sun was shining, and it was really eerie.’ She observed that the local community is very strong, aiding in the recovery with support from various services, officials, and volunteers. Bernadette’s level preparedness for natural disasters was tested and she realised the importance of better evacuation plans and resources. Bernadette believes Broke village is bouncing back but also bouncing forward, and describes the significance of wellness initiatives, community involvement, and support services in fostering connectedness and resilience. Support Bernadette's Business Broke Estate: https://brokeestate.com.au/ ***** We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes. Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group. If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories! Warmly, The Kintsugi Heroes team YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

    Returning Home and the Flood Impacts on Broke Estate with Bernadette Tolson

  5. 06/30/2024

    Natural Disaster Trauma: What the Research Says with Rob Gordon

    Rob Gordon gives us a powerful and detailed explanation of the effects on the human psyche of trauma from disasters and describes strategies for healing. He is warm and compassionate and his examples which all come from his experience over many years illustrate the complexity of the human response to tragic events and explain why it can take many years to recover. Many of our other guests have come to the same conclusion as Rob that the most important ingredient of healing from this type of trauma is to have strong support and social networks. Biography Rob Gordon is a psychotherapist who has been working with Bushfire Recovery since the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983. And he's also been a consultant to the Victorian government and the Red Cross for disasters since 1989. Rob has a private practice in psychotherapy at Box Hill in Victoria Contact rob@robgordon.com.au Check out our Special Series about Recovery from the 2019/2020 Bushfires Kintsugi Heroes: Alpine Series (YouTube) Kintsugi Heroes: Alpine Series (Audio RSS) ***** We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes. Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group. If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories! Warmly, The Kintsugi Heroes team YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

    Natural Disaster Trauma: What the Research Says with Rob Gordon

  6. 06/23/2024

    The Hero of Broke: Operational Excellence and Generosity with Mick McCardle

    Mick is a man who was acknowledged by the village as being an absolute hero when it came to supporting the community. His operational role was essential and his heart was huge when it came to supporting the local people. Born in 1963 he was in the Army from 1981 to 2013. In 2016 he moved with his wife to Broke where he owns a small business. He was the Singleton Citizen of the year for 2023 and is the president of the Broke Residents Community Association. Mick’s story is about his personal experience of the flood as well as sharing the story of being in charge of the operations centre at the Broke Community Hall during the 2022 catastrophic flood. “Because of my 30-odd years in the military, mainly overseas in operations, I came into the job to head up the operations centre because I knew what was involved and that when I was down there at the hall, I had to portray, okay, this is what we've got to do and get it done.” Like many others in the area his animals are an important part of his life. “We discussed it when they came and saw us about evacuating my wife, Min, but we couldn't go because of the animals; we've got three dogs, two cats, and chickens. I don't think our biggest dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, would have been happy getting in a tinny to cross a raging river.” ***** We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes. Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group. If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories! Warmly, The Kintsugi Heroes team YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

    The Hero of Broke: Operational Excellence and Generosity with Mick McCardle

  7. 06/16/2024

    How Surviving a Flood Deepens a Loving Partnership with Carina Moonen

    Carina and her husband Leith were severely impacted by the 2022 flood but because they live at Warkworth, away from the main flood area and cut off by flooded roads, they were not assisted by emergency services. “I was a little bit bitter that nobody had come, simply because if Leith hadn't been here, I would not have left. I would have waited for someone to come and save me. The dog and I would have been on my bed because that's the highest point and there was literally no one coming for us. “In the future, I want them not to forget the little people. The alerts had come through Bulga, Broke, and Singleton. For some reason, I thought that because Warkworth wasn't named, we must be OK. It's a silly attitude, but it is what it is.” Her husband Leith has also shared their story and both together offer us a devastating picture of their what they went through and it is still not over for them. Carina’s story is raw and very honest but, like the other Kintsugi Heroes we have spoken to, she expressed her gratitude at the many acts of generosity and kindness from members of their community. ***** We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes. Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group. If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories! Warmly, The Kintsugi Heroes team YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

    How Surviving a Flood Deepens a Loving Partnership with Carina Moonen

  8. 06/09/2024

    When Emergency Support Means Compassion for a Community with Annie Cossins

    Annie is a volunteer firefighter and a deputy captain with Wollombi Brigade in the Lower Hunter District. During the floods in 2022, along with many other firefighters in Wollombi Brigade, she undertook the daunting task of cleaning out local residents' flooded homes and businesses. She learnt how important it was for residents to start the recovery process amidst their tears, left over fears and sense of hopelessness. The floods didn't affect her home because she lives on a hill, although the sight of the tiny creek on her road turning into a river the width of the Hunter was something she hopes to never see again. Annie’s story from both her personal and her role in the RFS captures the commitment and compassion of the local volunteer organisations that are the bedrock of rural communities. ***** We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Beyond the Deluge and Kintsugi Heroes. Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group. If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories! Warmly, The Kintsugi Heroes team YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Center with grant funding from the Hunter New England and Centre Primary Health Network.

    When Emergency Support Means Compassion for a Community with Annie Cossins
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Natural disasters are common in rural Australia, but there is something particularly devastating about floods. They sweep through towns and communities often without warning, and leave people to pick up the pieces. And unlike bushfires, there is no way for people to take measures to deter the ferocity of a flood. On July 6th 2022, a flood swept through Broke and the Hunter Valley in NSW, Australia and disrupted over 300 community members. It had been 70 years since a flood so dangerous and overwhelming had hit the town and they are still reeling from the effects today. Join John Milham as he talks to the Broke and Singleton Community each week and shares with us the trauma and adversity felt during the flood and how the strength and compassion of community in regional NSW has kept this town resilient and steadfast in the wake of trauma, anxiety and destruction. This is a special series of the Kintsugi Heroes Podcast. Beyond The Deluge is a story about what happens after the water recedes — when the news crews leave, the cameras stop rolling, and a community is left to rebuild not just their homes, but their sense of safety, identity, and belonging. Through honest, unhurried conversations with the people who lived it, this series captures the long, quiet work of recovery: the kitchen-table moments, the neighbours who showed up, the grief that doesn't follow a timeline, and the resilience that gets built one ordinary day at a time. It's a series about land, water, and the people who refuse to let a town be defined by its worst day. About what regional Australia really looks like when it's tested — and what holds it together when so much has been swept away. Whether you've lived through a natural disaster yourself, work in emergency response or recovery, or simply want to hear what community actually means in the face of crisis, Beyond The Deluge invites you to listen, learn, and witness. Kintsugi Heroes is an Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the power of storytelling. We believe lived experience is a gift to be shared, not a scar to be hidden. To find out more about Kintsugi Heroes and our other podcast series, head to KintsugiHeroes.com.au. Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi.heroes/ 👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Kintsugi-Heroes-100084850387170/ ❤️ Donate (tax-deductible): https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate/#donate

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