Naosheyrvaan Nasir, Mohtamim Ishaat, Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Australia
The month of May 2025 has been quite the heartbreak for regional communities along the New South Wales coast and some inland regions. It has resulted in the deaths of five people. This natural disaster has been labelled as a 1-in-500-year event and the damage to property and livelihoods is estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Australia, in partnership with Humanity First Australia, contributed to the relief efforts underway in flood-affected communities. Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Australia contributed everyday essentials and non-perishable food items and offered their services in cleaning up flood-affected homes and businesses.
On 25 May 2025, 18 khuddam from both regions, Muqami and New South Wales, left for Taree, a regional town a few hours’ drive north of Sydney. Taree was heavily affected by the floods and at some points, residents were entirely cut off and completely isolated. When khuddam arrived in Taree, the community were still scarred from the effects of the flood and some creeks and catchments and rivers were still quite full of floodwater. The local trade store, Bunnings Taree, had its carpark transformed into a hub of community services, with the Sikh community providing a free langar meal service in a specially kitted-out food truck and insurance companies with their representatives ready to assist in claiming funds.
Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Australia started developing and maintaining relationships with the local council, the local Lions Club and the State Emergency Service (SES). It was on their advice of the ground conditions that the material and manpower support of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Australia provided relief in different areas in and around Taree. Planning for this event started on 21 May after news reports began broadcasting aerial footage of the floodwaters and it became quite clear that Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Australia must provide relief and assist in the recovery efforts. Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, along with the partnership of Humanity First Australia, supported the community with everyday items and essentials. The Ahmadiyya Press and Media team were engaged, and press releases were sent out highlighting the upcoming humanitarian mission. The team also reached out to state and federal politicians to deliver this message.
Approximately 5,000 AUD of non-perishable food and everyday essentials were procured and donated. The distance travelled was over 680 km and the time travelled was four hours to Taree and then four hours back to Sydney. Overall, 350 volunteer hours were spent providing relief. Some examples of relief provided to business owners involved discarding waterlogged carpets, tearing down plasterboards and rinsing business supplies. For residents, relief was provided in the form of draining residual sludge and floodwater out of their homes and procuring extra everyday essentials from local supermarkets.
Khuddam reflected on the resilience of the local Taree community. There were many stories recounted by khuddam where one local would defer assistance from volunteers to their neighbours, claiming they needed it more. In the evening, khuddam were treated to tea and biscuits by the Sikh community volunteers running their langar food truck. The social atmosphere at the end of a long and adventurous day was abuzz with stories and laughter. In all the doom and gloom that khuddam encountered during the day, the resilience of the locals was a sight to behold.