All Craig Wilson wants to do is work to provide a better life for his three sons.
The 30-year-old solo father of Jason Dyerfisk, 11, Cole Wilson, 6, and 5-year-old Kirt Wilson, was laid off, with five other workers from Lee Brothers Joinery, a week before Christmas.
"I was a bit
gutted. It came on top of Christmas, making it hard to find another job. Everyone is shut down," he said.
Santa did arrive though for the children, with gifts bought on a credit card.
"I didn't want to make it too hard for the kids. It wasn't their fault," he said.
He has signed up for the Domestic Purposes Benefit and will receive an extra $60 weekly for 16 weeks through the Government's redundancy package, but he just wants to find work.
Mr Wilson is trained as a qualified joiner and horticulturist. He had only been at Lee Brothers for 18 months after being on the single parent benefit for three years.
"I'd really rather work so I can provide a better life for the kids. It's good for your self-esteem to be making your own money and going out to work every day," he said.
However, it's not easy for him to look for work while the boys are home for the school holidays.
"I'm finding it a bit hard because you can't lug them around to job interviews. They should be having fun, not worrying that dad doesn't have a job," he said.
Meanwhile, he's cutting back on groceries like meat, and shopping in secondhand stores for clothes to survive until he finds employment.
"It's not fair on the kids but we will get by. We'll just have to go without for a while," he said.
Lee Brothers Joiner managing director Paul Ingram said it was unfortunate he had to lay off the six workers but because of the economic conditions he had little choice.
