LOUISE Hardman has been recognised for her significant contribution to the Coffs Coast community with the Coffs Harbour Electorate 2022 Local Woman of the Year Award.

Louise – a scientist, innovator and waste-free plastics educator – is dedicated to working on empowering communities to transform waste to resources.

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Attending the awards ceremony in Sydney with Louise, Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh said, “Louise makes an incredible contribution to our community with her drive and passion to make it a better place.

“She’s best known for founding Plastic Collective, a social enterprise to stop plastics entering the oceans and change the way people think about plastic.”

However, taking much of her attention right now are the flood rescue operations across the Lismore region where she is living on her research boat at the moment.

Louise is deeply moved by the efforts of the locals.

“The local tinny brigade – around a hundred people used their own recreational boats and jet skis – rescued on average 20 to 40 people each, so that’s around 3,000 people.

“The ADF rescued 70 people, five days later.

“The 10,000-plus community here rallied for each other in the bravest, life-saving rescues throughout the night and day.

“The community has done all the ‘grunt’ work…I am humbled to see it.

“The main forces that saved so many lives in this disaster were the 100-plus local Tinny Army, a group of Fijian local workers who stayed in the thick of the flooding from sunrise to sunset literally carrying people off rooftops, out of flooded buildings and off the tinny rescue boats to safety, and other locals on the ground bringing food, hugs and supplies.

“There was also a large number of volunteers who drove in from other regions with supplies and practical help, pulling rubbish out of houses and helping with the clean-up, while the authorities took five days before any real help came, and the Prime Minister on his visit never met with people on the ground.”

Louise is asking that the government escalate the Lismore region’s human and livestock crisis to a top priority and urgently get accessible funding to the people on the ground.

“The way the funding is set up, small businesses can only get a small amount upfront, the rest of the $50,000 funding requires them to spend first and then be reimbursed for flood-disaster related purchases and expenses.

“The problem is people have lost everything and they don’t have a cash flow.

“They need money in their hands now.

“We want the Federal Government to have a national plan ready for immediate disaster help, and the State Government to get the cash funding to those most badly affected, as most people here feel like they have been abandoned.”

By Andrea FERRARI