A SUSSEX man is raising money to buy his friend a new guitar after his home was repeatedly flooded.
John Tarr, 69, is a musician living near Lismore, Australia and has lost all of his belongings and his car due to the recent floods in the area.
Residents have been forced to evacuate the city as raging flood waters have destroyed homes and businesses.
Like many people in the area, John is unable to get house insurance because of the flood threat, and this time both his house and his garage went completely underwater.
Among the belongings that he lost are his guitar and his amp, meaning that when he returns home he will be unable to earn a living.
His friend Mark Ward, 44, is now asking people to help raise money to help replace them
Mark, who lived in Brighton up until six months ago when he moved to Horsham, met John through mutual friends and was devastated when he heard of his loss.
He said: “Some of his other friends have got money together for a car and some clothes, and food and toiletries.
“So, I volunteered to try to arrange money for this so he can then go out and work and rebuild his life.
“He’s all right. He’s a bit overwhelmed. Obviously he has the stress of losing everything and not being insured, because he actually can’t be.
“He’s OK, we text every few days and check in.
“The water has gone down quite a lot now and it's all hands on deck to get everyone back into their homes.
“Everyone in the area has rallied together and is coming together.”
Mark told The Argus why he felt it is important that John is able to perform again.
He said: “For me, this is his way of surviving and music is such a lovely way of connecting people and with the world where it is right now, whether it’s these floods or Ukraine or Covid it comes back to human connection and rallying to help and support people.
“I like the idea of people helping to get him a guitar but then him giving back through his music, it’s a full circle.”
Mark has teamed up with Sydney musician Franz and he will be finding and purchasing the guitar and amp for John.
Mark owns a vermouth company in Australia and used to travel there regularly before the pandemic, he is hoping to visit again in May and wants John to perform at one of his events and help get him back on track.
To donate to the fundraiser please visit: www.gofundme.com/f/bring-the-music-back-for-john-trapp
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