Bella Vista survivors recall their year of hell
The day after her birthday Bella Vista homeowner Jenny Coffey was given hours to evacuate her home and leave.
Leaving confused from her home, which had a full code compliance certificate, she had no idea the year from hell was about to begin.
In the following 365 days she has been evacuated, moved from temporary accommodation to temporary accommodation, attended dozens of council meetings, become a face in the media, filed lawsuits, took part in eleventh hour negotiations, settled with council and has just had the roof put on her new home thanks to the settlement.
It has been a year of sleepless nights, confusion and anger. A year of strained relationships emergency meetings, tears and heartache that began on March 9, 2018 when 21 Bella Vista homeowners were evacuated ahead of Cyclone Hola and ended in a $14.2 million settlement over dangerous buildings that escaped inspection.
Coffey never received her birthday presents that year. There was no address to send them to. ‘‘It’s strange that it’s only been a year,’’ she said. ‘‘We’ve tried really hard to move on. We have purchased a home in a different area and are even building again which was a surprise.’’
Moving on was key to the Bella Vista homeowners and the settlement, no matter what amount each received, allowed that to occur. Most have made up for lost time repairing strained relationships, forming new ones and putting the past year behind them.
Mother and daughter Janeen and Melissa Powell said the emotional toll was the hardest part of the ordeal. ‘‘It was s...t,’’ Melissa said. It does feel weird going from being evicted and homeless to where we are now.’’
Janeen was clear she wanted to purchase a new, old-style, brick home. ‘‘We’re able to get on with our lives now,’’ Janeen said. ‘‘We got something already built and said no, no, no to building again.’’
Janeen praised the efforts of new council chief executive Marty Grenfell, who replaced Garry Poole, for negotiating with homeowners. ‘‘It really felt like things changed when he got around the table,’’ she said. ‘‘It just moved forwards.’’
Family man Andre Stewart was one of the media spokesmen for the Bella Vista evacuees. He has enjoyed dropping out of the spotlight and now works in real estate.
‘‘We all still keep in contact,’’ he said. ‘‘Probably not as much as we used to do. People are wanting to put it all behind them a bit. There are still a lot of unanswered questions and you do still wonder about what could have been.’’
Lee and Denese Konowe still question if their home needed to be evacuated. Situated on 5 Aneta Way there have been no criminal charges, pertaining to the build itself, laid against any party.
‘‘I will be very interested to see if the council is able to sell it for more than the settlement,’’ Lee said. ‘‘We were happy to stay there. Though the whole neighbourhood has been hit with a stigma. I do hope the whole evacuation had a point.’’
In the last year a series of health issues have arisen for Lee which were not helped by the additional stress. While Lee undergoes treatment, however, he has managed to purchase a home on flat land away from The Lakes.
While everyone’s story of recovery is different one thing that is common is the appreciation they all have for the community. From the local businesses who provided food or entertainment for the children to the ratepayers who sent a message of support.
‘‘You could not put a price on that,’’ Coffey said.
Those seeking more answers will not have long to wait with the Ministry of Business and Innovation’s report into the debacle soon to be released.
A halt of demolition has been placed on 311 Lakes Boulevard, the Coffey family’s former home, after MBIE began a determination process on the property.
The determination was requested by Bella Vista Homes’s director Danny Cancian.
MBIE would not comment further on the process.