A family is left reeling after their home was severely damaged by a hailstorm, leaving them with golf ball-sized hailstones and a $10,000 repair bill.
Jonathan Walker and his family were at their home in Casterton, Victoria, on October 17 when it was hit by a wild storm that brought heavy rain and giant hailstones.
The terrifying weather caused part of the roof to collapse and smash several windows in the house, while Mr Walker and his wife were inside with their seven children.
“It was actually quite scary because it was so loud,” Walker told 9News.
‘When the ceiling came down, the water came in everywhere. It was just so horrible. The hailstones hit the roof so loudly that you could no longer hear yourself talk.’
When the storm finally cleared, the family realized their home and belongings had been destroyed.
Photos of the aftermath show the rooms and beds were waterlogged and covered in debris after the roof collapsed.
A valuable collection of instruments, which Mr Walker uses to teach music, was also soaked and covered in debris.
A family is left reeling after their home (pictured) was severely damaged by a hailstorm, leaving them with golf ball-sized hailstones and a $10,000 bill for repairs
Jonathan Walker (pictured with two of his seven children) and his family are left with a destroyed house and $10,000 in damages after a hailstorm
The instruments include a collection of electric and acoustic guitars, a pipe organ and several pianos, many of which cannot be recovered.
Mr Walker estimates that repairing the damage could cost more than $10,000, but said he does not have home insurance because he could not afford the rising premiums.
“I really cried, really cried,” he said.
Mr. Walker’s close friend, Sarah Huret, is one GoFundMe campaign to help the struggling family, who she has praised for their “remarkable resilience”.
She revealed that Mr Walker is a ‘talented music teacher’ and a ‘devoted father of seven children’ aged between 14 and 39.
Six of his children, four of whom have disabilities, live with him in the now-destroyed house next to his wife, who suffers from dementia.
Ms Huret asked people to help Mr Walker get his family back on their feet after his recent battle with cancer.
The hailstones were reported to range from the size of golf balls to tennis balls
“Unfortunately, his family is in financial difficulty and cannot afford home insurance, and the landlord’s insurance does not cover damage to the building, leaving him in a difficult situation,” she said.
‘Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a significant difference.’
The clean-up of Casterton has begun after the town was hit by one of the worst storms in recent memory, with residents reporting hailstones the size of tennis balls.
The roads were white from hail for hours after the damaging attack.
The Victorian State Emergency Service received more than 70 calls during the storm and spent days helping residents with their damaged homes in the aftermath.