FLOOD HEROES EMERGE

Businesses deliver with Hinterland Healing

THE Maleny and Montville Chambers of Commerce have been overwhelmed with generous businesses offering to support ‘Hinterland Healing’ packages to help flood-affected business owners in the Gympie region.

Maleny secretary Nicole Hilton said the chambers had been inundated by offers following a callout for mid-week accommodation stays, café and restaurant vouchers and retail vouchers.

The packages were designed to help businesses deal with the stress of the natural disaster.

“We certainly see the damage to property and business but not necessarily the effect it has on one’s mental health,” Nicole said.

“We have been overwhelmed with generosity.

“It’s so great that Maleny and Montville were voted the most welcoming destinations … and it will be great to share that with our Gympie cousins.”

By Jennifer Kent

3AM on a Thursday at Landsborough’s Rocky Creek Camp is usually pretty quiet. Apart from the usual nocturnal sounds from across the 120 acre property, it’s a peaceful haven for campers and school groups to enjoy.

But earlier this month, a little rumble turned into crushing hail and flying debris as the small town of Landsborough was hit hard by a damaging storm.

Caretaker of Rocky Creek “Scout Camp, Rachel Thomson, said it was incredibly fierce, with the storm ripping through their – and many others’ - property, leaving devastation in its wake.

Showing the strength of the community, a group of over 50 volunteers gathered the following Saturday March 5 to help clean up the property.

It was a mammoth effort due to the extensive damage caused by hail, falling trees, branches and localised flooding.

“The camp’s kitchen had been devastated, we had two RFS crews on site clearing tracks around the property, our low ropes course had been damaged, and we had recently completed our new obstacle course, which had been destroyed,” said Rachel.

“We’ve had to cancel 14 bookings, and it’s hard to say when exactly we’ll be open again. We can’t consciously allow kids back on site until we know it’s safe.”

Rocky Creek Scout Camp kitchen

Hail damage to trees at the camp

While it is a lot to come to terms with, especially considering this is not the first challenge thrown at Rachel and her husband Duncan since taking over as caretakers five years ago -they’ve been through the 2018 storms, 2019 bushfires, 2020-21 COVID-19 - but they are determined to stay positive.

Rachel says she was taken aback by the generosity of the community in coming together to help. “It was truly heartwarming to see everyone helping each other out,” she shared.

“We had a lot of trees and branches fall, even some that had caused damage to our neighbours’ properties, but there was no animosity, everyone just pitched in to help each other.

“We even had kids walking around filling their buckets with leaves.

“It really says a lot for our community.”

With the recovery now reaching a stalemate while waiting on insurance, Rachel said they are welcoming donations of gravel and timber to help rebuild tracks, as well as white goods and tables to help get the camp back on track.

“The community has been so kind to us, especially when a lot of others properties have also been damaged,” said Rachel.

“It’s been overwhelming to see so many people in our corner. We’re so thankful.”

By Jennifer Kent

AS THE saying goes, ‘many hands make light work’, and while the clean-up from storms and relentless rain over the past weeks may not necessarily be “light” work, with the help of selfless volunteers such as Landsborough’s Rob Cullen, the clean up across the region is forging ahead.

As an unforgettable storm tore through Landsborough and Beerwah earlier this month, Rachel Thomson, of Landsborough’s Rocky Creek Camp shared the story of the impact it had on their property (see story page 6); across the road, her parents Rob and Kim Cullen had a similar experience at their own home, but as Rachel explained is true to the strength of his character, Rob’s property would have to wait.

“It was about 4am that Dad had phoned to make sure we were all okay, and as I was on the phone to him, the roof of their house caved in,” Rachel shared. “I sent my husband Duncan over to help and it took him 10 minutes to make the 150 metre walk to their property… the roads were impassable.”

With roof tarped and family all okay, Rachel explained Rob spent the next two days volunteering with the RFS in clean-up efforts, before spending all day Saturday, along with some 50 volunteers, helping with the clean-up at Rocky Creek Camp. This came after he was one of the first to put up his hand to help out in the week preceding as intense rain caused major flooding across Rob Cullen and the south east region. Rachel Thomson Along with a team of RFS volunteers, Rob was deployed to help with the flooding crisis in Gympie, spending long days helping wherever he was needed.

Rob, who as well as working full time volunteers for the Landsborough Rural Fire Brigade, and is the regional commissioner for Scouts Queensland Suncoast region.

“I’m incredibly proud of my Dad, it’s hard to put into words,” shared Rachel. “After 31 years he’s still my hero and an incredible role model to my boys.”

Rob is no doubt a great example for future scouts.

Community spirit thrives with scones and a cuppa

By Marlene Jennings

IT was a royal touch dearly needed as hinterland communities mopped up after the devastating floods and storms that swept the region in late February.

‘Queen of the scones’ Katrina Odgers baked up a brilliant idea to help feed the hundreds of people volunteering their time to clean up sodden properties.

Katrina, along with ‘king of the scones’, Martin Duncan, and ably assisted by a contingent of volunteers then et about baking 300 scones - requiring about 10kg of flour - to deliver to weary volunteers.

“It is about companionship and especially in times like this we need our village and everyone to look after everyone,” Katrina said, adding the response had been incredible.

“We had people with tears in their eyes.”

A welcome $500 donation from Bassett Barks assisted the community-spirited venture.

Landsborough RFS

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