Mel and Craig McMahon hit rock bottom on Monday.
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It was midday and the couple had just closed the doors of their successful Maitland-based gym and martial arts business - letting go 20 staff.
Included in the laid-off workers were themselves and four members of their own family, who all worked full-time at the centre.
On the same day, their daughter's partner lost his job as a chef.
The Rutherford family of seven joined thousands of workers left unemployed this week, casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"What really upset me was all of us having to line up at Centrelink," Mrs McMahon said.
"It really broke me looking at the kids and worrying about us all trying to make it through this.
"I never thought I would see anything like this. They were all so successful before this and now we're all out of work."
The McMahons started Premier Fitness and Martial Arts Centre, at Rutherford, more than five years ago and employ their sons Tyler, 25, and Connor, 24, as personal trainers and martial arts instructors.
Daughter-in-law Shena McMahon does group fitness and runs the creche, and their daughter Holly Lavender-McMahon works reception.
Holly's partner Zac Kuyltjes lost his job as a chef as rolling shutdowns forced mass business closures across the Hunter.
"It's been a huge shock, but we had no choice but to close," Mrs McMahon said.
"Our members have been great, a lot of of them have told us to keep taking their fees but we can't do that."
The family is pooling its financial resources in an attempt to make it through the month-long wait before the $1100 fortnightly Centrelink unemployment benefits hit their bank accounts.
Under unprecedented sudden demand, the family said navigating the Centrelink process to apply for payments was a "absolute minefield" and they waited hours on hold to talk to banks about deferring loan payments.
Mrs McMahon said while it was "gut wrenching" letting the staff go at such short notice, she supported the federal government's decision to combat the spread of COVID-19.
"Our whole income, for all of us, just stopped immediately," she said.
"All our family members and our staff, it's still really hard to get my head around that happening.
"We're confident we'll make it through and our landlord has been really understanding which has been a great support to us."
The McMahons have been loaning gym equipment to members in an effort to help them keep fit at home.
"We have such great members, there are a few hundred of them, and we want to support them through this as well," she said.
"As soon as we can we'll be opening the doors again and getting them back in.
"For now we've set up a Facebook chat with all the family so we can talk to each other and support each other through this. We're just hoping it doesn't last too long."