Please help me to raise enough money to replace the broken performance Harp for a friend

Deborah’s harp was destroyed during Tropical Cyclone Uesi on Feb 14 2020.

Shortly after the insurance funds arrived for the replacement Harp, her Son was tragically killed so she had to redirect that money for flights, funeral costs and hotel quarantine expenses.

Dear Friends and Family

As you know I only ever put out a call for help after much thought and when there is real financial/community support needed, well this time I believe we have a bit of both. Please stay with me as tell you about my friend Deborah Bates and the series of events that lead to me seeking your assistance.

If you can help, there will be links here to make financial transfer and for that, I thank you so very, very much in advance. In the case that we raise more than we need, then we will redirect the overflow of the money to the charities (chosen by Deborah) listed at the bottom of this form.

Thank you, Sandie x

Some of you will have already heard about my lovely friend Deborah Bates and her heart- breaking story of time in quarantine, as it did make news. Rarely are we given the opportunity to give back to  someone who makes a difference to our community but this is one of those times and I am personally grateful to do so.

Deborah and I met while we both worked for Select Resumes; she was the Jobs Coordinator (based on the Gold Coast) and I was one of the Writers here in Melbourne; we just hit it off and stayed in touch eventually our talk turned to music. Soon after we met, Deborah started playing harp again after many years break and very quickly became well known on the GC and in the Northern Rivers area as   an accompanist for meditation sessions, retreats and she began to record.

In 2019 when my Gold Coast based Niece announced she was getting Married and scheduled the date for July 2020 (and because of Covid, now moved to this July) she asked me to sing at the ceremony and of course, I asked Deborah to  accompany me on Harp – we were pretty excited to perform together! but not long after that on 14 Feb 2020, tropical Cyclone Uesi swept through the Gold Coast and hit the beloved the Harp which was on the balcony of Deb’s apartment (where she had recently been practicing) at the time.

The Harp along with patio furniture and some other belongings sustained such heavy damage that they just could not be salvaged. Whilst there was some insurance money available toward replacing the harp, a month later Australia was in lockdown and the opportunity to purchase a new instrument was suddenly non-existent and, unfortunately there was worse yet to come.

In the very early hours of  August 21, 2020 Deborah received the worst call of her life, her Son had been involved in an horrific three-car crash in Sydney's M5 tunnel and, he had passed away.

Travel restrictions meant her Daughter could not accompany her to Sydney for the funeral so Deborah had to go alone and on her return home, the Queensland Government denied her applications for hotel quarantine exemption on compassionate grounds, which meant immediately after the funeral, she spent 14 days in a hotel room alone, grieving, without any real human contact except her friends via Facebook chat and a few phone calls. She was allowed some deliveries from home including a small lap harp, that she has been using since her full-size one was destroyed. She began to play on the hotel balcony each day and tells us that it’s the only thing that made her  survive.

I know there are things we cannot repair for her and we can’t remove what has been done. The insurance money that she did have put aside to replace her performance harp had to be used for flights,  funeral costs and hotel quarantine expenses. 

I have not once heard her ask for assistance in fact she has been helping others as much as she can. She has continued to inspire with her music and agrees to accompaniment when asked, even though all she has to play on is a small lap harp.

I’d like to raise enough money to replace her broken performance harp. Now that stores are opening again she has a Harp store within a couple of hours drive of  her although the current flooding is making it challenging - I’d like to at least  have the money ready for her to just walk in and choose any Harp she desires.

The basic model of the Harp that she lost starts at $7000.00, the mid-range  model is approximately $10,000.00 which includes a must-have carry bag for protection. Potentially, she is looking at: Kyla 36 Carbon or Camac Telenn Lever and tells me that a player sits with their Harp and 'feels' it before they know it's the right one :) 
Whilst I have created this fundraiser for half the cost of the harp, what I really hope we can do is pay for it in total - that is my aim here.

So, can she play my family's event and other events without the new full-size performance Harp? ...Yes, sure, in a very pared-down, limited fashion; she still has the small lap harp which she has been using since Feb last year but it's not the same; it's not able to give the full effect of a performance harp, what she can play is also limited and how she can play is restricted and a full-sized harp is something everyone should hear just once!

Please help give this gift back to Deborah who even at the darkest of time has been available and providing to her Community.

Much Love and huge thanks in advance!

Sandie Bell x

Below is the link to the local news story on her time in quarantine and Charities
Deborah wishes to support with any money over and above what she needs for a replacement harp

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/qld/2020/09/13/queensland-border-grieving-mother/ 

Any money raised over and above $10,000 will be divided and donated to the following charities:
Starlight Children's Foundation
Care Flight