Community Fights to Save 1800s Rainforest Timber Home

A house built in the late 1800s from rare rainforest timber has become a symbol of hope for preserving history in flood-ravaged Lismore, Australia.

The Frank Street home once belonged to the Schafer family, whose patriarch Rudolph built Lismore's first ambulance in his workshop behind the house in the 1920s. After record floods in 2022, the New South Wales government bought back 835 homes in flood-prone areas, with 207 already demolished and 168 more scheduled for demolition by November.

But activists like Yani Clarke see these old homes as too valuable to destroy. She returned to Lismore after the floods to help with recovery and now works to save the city's historic buildings. "We've taken away our big scrub rainforest to build these houses and now to see them be turned into mulch, it just doesn't make sense," Clarke said.

The Frank Street house holds special meaning for Sandra Cahill, who grew up next door to her grandparents. She remembers her grandmother Marion as "the lady of the house" and her grandfather working in his workshop. "Our heritage lives in every one of those houses and I think they have earned their right to stay upright after all these years of floods," Cahill said.

The Bright Side

The home is getting a second chance. The NSW Reconstruction Authority initially issued a demolition notice but has since given the owner more time to explore options for relocating or carefully dismantling the structure.

Rainforest timber expert Kevin Glencross has been working since the floods to salvage the rare old-growth wood from flooded homes. The timber comes from very old trees and nothing comparable exists on the market today. "Frank Street is a critically emblematic house and the timber in it is some of the best big scrub timber I have seen," he said.

The government says it's prioritizing relocation and recycling over demolition. So far, more than 70 percent of eligible material from demolished homes has been recycled. Homeowners and contractors are also salvaging materials before any demolition happens.

The Frank Street house represents more than just rare timber. It connects families to their past and preserves the craftsmanship of people who built a community with their hands.