The couple Shannan and Christian and their three children – Georgia, James and Briella, were visiting family in Maitland on the Sunday afternoon when they received a call from their real estate agent at 5pm.

They had only moved to Dungog six weeks prior as they wanted to get out of Newcastle and give their young family room to move.

“We basically packed up our lives and moved here,” Shannan said.

“As children we both came up here camping with our families and loved the area.

“We were paying $420 a week rent in Newcastle and for only $30 more we had a lovely house on 32 acres.”

While the couple has now moved into a new home and have smiles on their faces, this wasn’t the case six weeks ago.

Everything they have worked for is gone and Shannan lost all of her father’s memorabilia she had from his death when she was aged just two.

“At 5 in the afternoon, we would all have been inside, Shannan would have been cooking dinner and the kids would have been watching television,” Christian said.

“We probably would have all been incinerated.

“When our neighbour Kendall Neilson heard the explosion he came over and managed to get my bike out of the shed as well as my tool trailer, but we lost everything else.

“But I am grateful we are all safe.”

The couple spent the first couple of nights at the Bank Hotel courtesy of owners Eileen and Bruce Clark before moving to Anne and Rod Barnes’ Tall Timbers Motel.

They are in awe of the generosity of the Dungog people.

“Strangers were coming up to us in the street, giving us hugs and money,” Shannan said.

“One lady even gave James $50 to go and buy a new toy.

“In Newcastle this wouldn’t have happened – people just don’t do things like that.

“The community has been amazing and I can’t put into words how great everyone has been.

“Thank you doesn’t even cut it.”

The Dungog Chronicle ran a food drive for the couple with service clubs, businesses and individuals donating food vouchers and groceries as well as toys for the children.