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| Laurena Hooker and Glenn Teale have been living in a tent since the floods destroyed their Rocklea home. |
CLOSE quarters can test a love affair but after 16 months of living in a tent in their back yard, Glenn Teale and Laurena Hooker reckon they're solid.
"Yeah, we'll make it," said Mr Teale, 42, beaming at his girlfriend over a wooden table that floated on flood waters to land in their Rocklea yard two years ago. It was the only good luck they had - their home was submerged in the floodwaters.
Then QBE Insurance wouldn't cover the two-bedroom house, the stumps split and the once-sodden fibro walls containing asbestos started to crack.
The couple did not want the burden of a bank loan to pay for tradesmen, so after living inside the shell for about eight months, they decided to pitch a tent and rebuild the house with the help of friends and $50,000 flood assistance money.
"It's quite comfortable," Ms Hooker, 49, said of the outdoor set-up with a high-set double bed inside the tent, a fireplace outside, portable television and a barbecue.
"I've become a bit of a barbecue cordon bleu chef," said Mr Teale. "And there's nothing more romantic than sitting around the fire out the back and having a couple of rums," joked Ms Hooker.
Laughter and friendship were the two ingredients that kept them going over the past two years.
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| Laurena Hooker and partner Glenn Teale's home in Rocklea was submerged by floodwaters in January 2011. |
Mr Teale, a motor mechanic, has exchanged his skills for those of tradesmen friends but a proud Ms Hooker said her partner had proved "an awesome tiler, carpenter and painter".
Still, there have been moments of tension and the drawn-out tent-living has been emotionally draining.
"We're eternally grateful for the grant money we got and the support but you just don't realise the compounding effect of waking up at 5 o'clock and going 'Oh well, sun's up, can't sleep in'," Ms Hooker said.
Finally, their outdoor days may be behind them. New floors are down and a stove has been connected so the tent may come down this weekend, the second anniversary of the day the house flooded to the rooftop.
"It will be weird to take the tent down and actually be able to see the back yard," Mr Teale said.
"There'll be a bit of a ceremony when we take it down, that's for sure."
Still, there have been moments of tension and the drawn-out tent-living has been emotionally draining.
"We're eternally grateful for the grant money we got and the support but you just don't realise the compounding effect of waking up at 5 o'clock and going 'Oh well, sun's up, can't sleep in'," Ms Hooker said.
Finally, their outdoor days may be behind them. New floors are down and a stove has been connected so the tent may come down this weekend, the second anniversary of the day the house flooded to the rooftop.
"It will be weird to take the tent down and actually be able to see the back yard," Mr Teale said.
"There'll be a bit of a ceremony when we take it down, that's for sure."
www.CourierMail.com.au
9.1.13
