Family rebuilds after fire destroys Sering Street home
A Randpark Ridge man whose home was gutted by fire on Monday says he has been overwhelmed by community support, even as his family works to rebuild from nothing.
Ivan Farquharson never expected to find himself starting over at 40. But after a fire destroyed his home at 10 Sering Street in Randpark Ridge on April 27, that is exactly where he finds himself.
In a heartfelt video message shared with the community this week, Farquharson described the past few days as the most difficult of his life. Yet amid the devastation, he said he had been moved beyond words by the outpouring of support from neighbours and strangers alike.
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“I’m 40 years old, and I’ve never been through such a difficult, trying time,” he said. “But in these 40 years, I’ve also never seen a community come together and help like this, in ways both big and small.”
Donations of goods and money have already made a meaningful difference, helping the family cover the cost of a storage unit for belongings that survived the blaze, as well as the fuel for the countless trips they have had to make in the days since. Farquharson said it was the kind of generosity that gave his family strength when they felt completely exhausted.
But while the loss of personal belongings has been hard, Farquharson said what saddened him most was the destruction of tools and materials connected to the charity work his family carries out in the community. Among the items lost were six sewing machines intended for a new project to teach unemployed mothers how to sew, as well as children’s books, clothes, toys, and shoes that were destined for children from the Misawa township near Kaya Sands.
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The family’s most pressing need at present is to raise enough funds to rent a home large enough not only for themselves but also to allow them to resume their charity work as soon as possible.
Farquharson said his prayer was to find a new home close by, so that the community that had rallied around his family could one day get to know them a little better. Those wishing to learn more about the family’s charity work can visit their Instagram page at instagram.com/mloveforafrica.
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