It’s been a long five years for Jyllie Jackson, organiser of the Lismore Lantern Parade. Since the 2017 floods, it’s been nothing but changes and challenges - and this year is no different.

She's had to completely re-imagine the event and change everything each year since the 2017 flood inundated the lantern workshop and destroyed the lanterns.

"We are pushing through the dramas, but we are still struggling to know if we can even do it this year," Jyllie said.

While it seems that the 2021 Lismore lantern Parade is going to go ahead at this stage, it’s possible it could still be stopped if the NSW Government changes Covid regulations.

The lantern parade is set to be held at the Lismore Showgrounds, with limited tickets on sale. It’s something that some locals aren’t too happy about – but Jyllie still has a few surprises up her sleeve for the community that she told The Lismore App about.

“We have had some phone calls from upset and angry business traders in the CBD for which the lantern parade is their best trading night of the year and I had to explain to them what has to happen," Jyllie said.

“We want people to know that we will do an activation in the CBD the week before the lantern parade to bring people down into the town and keep the light shining in the CBD – if council supports us.

“I’ve spent months struggling how to do this help the CBD businesses - but we need support to do another event.

“It’s called keeping Lismore’s heart shining - because it’s really important.

“We are also charity of the day at the Car Boot Market on Sunday and we are looking for donation collectors."

Flood challenges and change

Jyllie is one of the ten locals who told her story of the 2017 floods in Lismore for 'Flood Stories' - a local research project now on in the Quad.

Read more: Raincoats, gumboots and flood stories call you to the Quad

Jyllie said in 2017, she had warning that the flood was coming and was trying to get the lanterns and equipment out of the lantern workshop shed.

Unfortunately, it was located near Trinity Catholic College in the lowest lying part of town.

“We booked a Hertz truck to pick up the lanterns - but the truck got picked up by the water and was thrown into the top of a tree," she said.

"But we managed to get the computers out - and we worked until after midnight.

“There was only a handful of volunteers helping. I got back the next morning after hearing the siren go off in the middle of the night and we worked as fast as we could to lift things up, until we had to leave.

“Bcause of the new levy, the water took two days to come back down and it completely ruined the lanterns.

“It was like they had been hit by a tsunami, crushed and thrown around.

“We also threw seven truck loads of rubbish out, a lot of it was donated goods.

"But we plodded along and the kids from Lismore Heights Public School came down and washed skewers so we could make lanterns.

“We fixed most of the lanterns and the Flood Show we did was the next one we had done.

"It was cathartic, funny, made people cry. It was full on and I loved the resilient burning heart.

“Lots of people from the coast came and I loved it."

Jyllie, Jeanti and Chris invited people to Flood Stories in the Quad now.

Read more: Raincoats, gumboots and flood stories call you to the Quad