By Esther Lauaki
The winter wind constantly whistles through Nikki Anticevic’s house and the exposed wiring in her kitchen area could spell disaster.
Ms Anticevic, who has lived in her Romsey house for 13 years, has been doing it tough for years and her house has fallen into disrepair.
But she’s become the recipient of a wave of community support since meeting Sunbury gym owner David Cannon a week ago.
“I went to go have a look at this caravan in Romsey … the lady that was selling touched me with her story,” Mr Cannon said. “The reason why she was selling it was because her house was in a shambles … she was looking to sell it for $1500 to complete some of the renovations, but that won’t even scratch the surface of what needs to be done.
“She never asked me for a handout, but I want to help her out.”
A video Mr Cannon posted online asking the community for donations of building materials towards Ms Anticevic’s home renovation has gone viral, clocking up more than 38,000
views.
“It’s turned into something that I never expected,” he said. “It’s quite overwhelming.”
Demolition of the kitchen was started by a former partner two years ago, but renovations were never completed. There is no plaster on the walls, no flooring in the kitchen, holes in the hallway and wiring “running everywhere”.
Mr Cannon said the bathroom was badly covered in mould because the fan had broken.
“The place is a disaster,” he said.
Ms Anticevic has endured a lifetime of hardship that has left her grappling with mental illness.
“I was brought up in family group homes, or cottages as they were known, as a ward of the state from the age of three months old,” she told
Star Weekly. “I started being abused at age three to about 15.”
She has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia as a result of the abuse.
“I’m feeling overwhelmed by the care that people have shown me,” Ms Anticevic said.
The Romsey Home Rescue GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/romsey-home-rescue?teamInvite=S2DWzQ4ZyYvsm8M72x50AaZ29SToTxUxCduzjGF63rKVA9S2yoTNCmQd9sdeBIcX
