Plough Inn co-owner Hayden Sharp said more than 200 people came along on Friday evening and proceeds of “at least a few thousand” were expected, although the final total was still being tallied.

“It went really well,” he said. “It was a really good positive environment.”

The event aimed to support people in Tarrawingee and Everton who were affected by flooding on December 13, involving the towns’ community groups.

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“Funds will be dispersed back to those two groups to be distributed to the community in whatever way they see fit,” Mr Sharp said.

The Plough Inn, which dates back to 1860, itself sustained some flood damage, with water filling both cellars.

“We’re still waiting on a structural engineer to fully assess the main cellar that was underneath the dining room,” he said.

Mr Sharp, who also lives in Tarrawingee, said the natural disaster had caused extensive damage to the region, but also brought people together.

“The initial response is everyone trying to chip in and just help each other out and then once we get through that onslaught it was about the clean-up and people helping out each other there,” he said.

“Now it’s really trying to get things as best as we can together for Christmas.

“It’s a long way back but, you know, we’re pretty resilient in the community of Tarrawingee and we’ll get back on track.”

On the day of the floods Mr Sharp had been working in Wangaratta and drove home through Milawa owing to the road closures.

“At that stage the water was at its peak so through the middle of town here was like a river,” he said.

“By early afternoon the water had peaked at its highest and we tried to make sense of what had happened so quickly.”

He paid special tribute to the Country Fire Authority.

“They were traffic control, they were flood relief, they were safety, they were everything and I know that it was probably a tough time for them because there’s a lot of impacts there too with their own personal situations,” he said.