Tiff, Alice and I met up with Jazz from the Super Butcher at Yatla at around 7:30am. We had used the mighty Ute to bring down the BBQ, Oz Trail, Chairs and cooking equipment. There was a good turnout ready to board the Logan Coach to head into Goodna and help out wherever they could. Some of these guys had been down helping out the day before, the bus driver for one had driven the bus the day before helped out while he was there and then had to work late into the night.
We followed the bus into Brisbane Tce in Goodna and were met by a scene of total destruction. Houses stood with their doors open contents spewed out into giant piles on the footpath. The smell was a mixture of river mud, decaying garbage and plant material.
From the time that we arrived the sense of camaraderie was awesome there were thousands of people all working together to help clean up. Just in the street we were in there were dosens of organisations including Rural fire brigades, Parks and Wild Life, The Australian Army, Surf Lifesaving and even one or two SES all working alongside Mum, Dad and Family civilians.
We set up the Oz trail and BBQ in the park backing onto the river. While I started cooking up the super butcher snags Tiff and Alice headed off to let the Volunteers and homeowners know that the food was on the way. As well as sausages there were bottles of water, packets of Oreos, Kingstons, and baked goods that people kept bringing down during the day. The council brought around a couple of large water coolers filled with ice and water. One of the residents brought across mugs so that people could serve themselves coffee. We used the side burner on the BBQ to heat the kettle (as there was no electricity in that part of the city) between doing loads of onions donated by Panorama Patios ( Tiff’s Mum and Dad).
From the time the first sausage was ready we were inundated with people needing a recharge of the batteries to keep them going. We must have served up at least 300 sausages by the time the rush had started to abate, the sausages were being consumed as fast as they were leaving the hot plate. Tiff and Alice pointed people to the hand washing station while they were serving sausages, coffee, cooking onions and making sure everyone was having plenty of water and staying hydrated. When they would get a minute Tiff and Alice would run sausages and water out to the people controlling the traffic and the truck drivers while they were stopped to be loaded. Everybody who came for a recharge during the day kept making the comment, this is the best sausage I have ever eaten, the best cup of coffee I have ever drunk, the best seat I have ever sat in. It is amazing how exhaustion can make you appreciate the most basic of things.
Most of our party found there way down into Evans Street which Runs off Lower Stuart Street and had suffered flooding up to just under the eaves on the single story houses. The larger machinery was unable to get down into these streets due to the low hanging power lines. Two guys with tip trucks were donating their time, fuel and trucks to take loads out to the tipping point. I took my leave of absence from the BBQ after the rush had subsided and headed down to join the others for some heavy lifting. When I arrived I found that the Maori family that were a part of our group were in their element organising their troops (of which there would have been around 150 – 200 volunteers and homeowners) to help load the tipper trucks. John and his family were helping people to load the heavy items like fridges, stoves, washing machines, bookcases, beds and air conditioners onto the trucks, this was then followed by the various debris that used to be peoples prize possessions. Everyone was putting in a massive effort and the homeowners were not holding back with expressing their gratitude to the masses of people that were helping them to get their places whipped back into some kind of shape.
I would not give a complete rendition without mentioning the people some driving and some on foot who were helping to keep this massive army of people refreshed and energized. In one instance there was a home ice cream van driving along the street handing out ice cream to any that needed them. There was one bloke who had a BBQ on the back of his Ute and he had surrounded himself with water they were driving to the various streets and providing food and refreshments directly to the volunteers and homeowners. Still others were walking around handing out baked goods that they or a family member had made up. There were blokes in Utes loaded with massive eskys containing everything from water and soft drinks to Beer. In fact the John (the Maori bloke) joked that it was one of the best beers he had ever had.
I could go on for days about the things that were happening, I will say that it was fantastic to see the Ausie spirit alive, health and helping others in their time of greatest need. It was a humbling experience to have been a part of there is plenty still to do out there and if you get the opportunity go and experience it for yourself.
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