Joel and Ellie Trist recently had another ball added to their already impressive juggling act when their home, and the one they were building, were engulfed by floodwaters in Rochester.
Ellie, and four of her children, were wandering along Allan St on Friday during the bush market — having spent the best part of a month living with Jason’s sister and her husband, Kyabram’s Rhyanna Trist and Alex Hindson.
While three-year-old Lila wandered the street without a care in the world, marvelling at the balloon twisting antics of entertainers and touch-testing every interesting looking offering on the countless trestle tables — her father was back in Rochester continuing the recovery effort.
“Both our houses were flooded, the new one and where we were living,” Ellie said.
“We were insured for where we were living, but not at the new house,” she said.
The displaced Rochester family is assessing their next steps as they await news on insurance and the status of their new Queen St home.
In the meantime, Ellie and her sister in law, who also has a nine-month-old child, are managing an overflowing household.
“Fortunately we have a big home,” Rhyanna said.
“It is busy though,” she added.
Ellie’s five-year-old son has just started kindergarten in Kyabram, while her two primary school-aged children are travelling three hours a day to school in Bendigo.
“The two who are travelling to Bendigo are over the backward and forwards,” she said.
Rochester Primary School students, and the secondary school population, are completing a four-day school week and Wednesday has become a wellbeing day operated jointly by the two education facilities.
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