Ian Burns is working to get the Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler back on the river.abc.net.au/news/hawkesbury-paddlewheeler-owner-business-flood-setbacks/101399634Valentine's Day 2020 was the last time Ian Burns ran an event on the Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler.Its owner has sold his family home to keep itUntil then, his boat had regularly taken private functions and parties on cruises along the Hawkesbury River from Windsor.
A coating of mould that formed in the past few weeks of Sydney's cloudy and rainy days covers many of the wooden surfaces of the boat.Without his primary source of income, the cost of keeping the boat has been immense for Mr Burns. "There's sunken caravans, containers and clumps of trees that have washed in off the side of the banks," Mr Burns said.The Hawkesbury Paddlewheeler's chimney was damaged during a flood.