"Lost everything": Retirees left homeless after houseboat destroyed
Two grandparents from South Australia have lost everything after a tree fell on their houseboat during a wild storm.
Pam, 77, and David, 82, moved into their two-bedroom houseboat on the Murray River when they first retired over 20 years ago, after finally living out their dream of living on the water.
During a storm on February 13th, when their houseboat was moored about 700m from the Renmark boat ramp, their lives were changed forever when a tree fell through their roof.
Their granddaughter Shenay Harris said it was a miracle the pair escaped with only minor injuries.
“They’re both sitting in their armchairs next to each other. My nan was actually stuck. Her legs were pinned from all the rubble of the roof caving in, and my pop managed to be able to stand up and reach for the phone to call emergency services,” Harris told 7News.
“Looking at the boat and where they were sitting and everything, we have no idea how they are still with us. It’s just absolutely amazing that they’re still here, and they’re OK.”
Shenay said her grandparents were now feeling lost about their future, while also grieving the loss of their retirement home.
“My pop, he’s absolutely shattered. He’s said to us ‘it’s all over now’ ... (we’re) trying to reassure him (that) ‘no, it’s just a new beginning’,” Harris said.
“They’ve been on that boat for 23 years, so it’s been my whole childhood and life with them living on the boat."
The houseboat was not insured at the time of the accident, leaving both of the retirees homeless, with no hope for a replacement boat or a payout to get them back on their feet.
“They’ve literally just lost everything they’ve got, you know, no assets, nowhere to go, no money,” Shenay said.
An online fundraiser has been set up to support the couple as they figure out the next stage of their life, so far raising $3,000.
“They’re both pensioners, they’ve really got nothing to their name now, having lost the boat. So really just to get them back on their feet.”
Image credits: GoFundMe / 7News