Queensland Floods - Remembering My Friends

I read and saw news being broadcast on the heavy rainfalls over northern Queensland especially in Rockhampton areas  as 2010 was drawing its curtain. The accompanying flood was pretty bad by the second week the flood was reaching a "biblical" proportion with an "inland tsunami" rushing down to destroy everything in its path in Toowoomba, the Garden City, about 125 Km west of  Brisbane. Harrowing stories of death and destruction were  related. Cars were picked up and tossed about like toys in the surging water. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, daughters and sons whose lives were snapped by the torrential water in their homes and outdoors. Most of them without warning.

Toowoomba CBD in  flood 

Houses submerged

Toowoomba, Australia's cleanest city in 2008, brought a special memory for me as I did my elective posting as a medical student at the General Hospital there. The Superintendent was the late Dr Michael O'Rourke who was quite a personality who would call us female medical students following his ward rounds, with names such as Miranda and Mirabelle prompting my colleague Jenny to whisper that those names were actually used for cows! Jenny came from a farming town so she would know these things.

Even horses are not spared in rural Grantham QLD

The Drift Restaurant before it was carried away by the torrential water

Toowoomba in the Lockyer Valley, is at the higher elevation than Brisbane and it has a cooler weather. I still cannot believe how the flood could have inundated the city and its surrounding. That was on the 11 January 2011 then later the body of water along with the incessant rainfalls and high tide, came to Brisbane with the Brisbane river bursting its banks and torrential water ravaging the low-lying and flood- prone areas submerging many houses and businesses. I watched the TV news with disbelief at the volume of  water clogging up the streets of  the city causing total disruptions to traffics and communication. Even power was cut off to prevent untoward incidents. Such was the seriousness of the calamity.

The last big flood in Brisbane was in 1974 but this year 2011 seemed to be more disastrous as more development has taken place since then. A waterfront restaurant was unceremoniously carried away by the swollen Brisbane river. On 13 Jan I saw on TV the canopy of the cafe striking the bridge as it was being pushed by the surging water. It was an anxious moment. The day before that the owner was lamenting that he did not have insurance for that kind of disaster.

Brisbane River flash torrent

It was not a great flood, it was an inundation.

The scale of the disaster was enormous as much as 75% of the areas with houses, properties and businesses were affected. Losses have been estimated at billions of dollars. Many people are affected and some have lost everything. My heart goes out to the people of Queensland particularly Brisbane where I spent eight years of my life studying at a high school there and later at the Queensland University at St Lucia and at Herston Medical School. I could just imagine the level of devastation at the university campus with all those colleges, Grace college, St John, Emmanuel, Union and International House as they are just next to the Brisbane River! I also read that many houses in Toowong area were totally submerged. Many Malaysian students used to live in this suburb.I stayed at the lovely International House at Rock St when I was a medical student from year I to III and from year IV to VI  clinical years in a flat nearer to Herston.

Queensland is special to me as I have made friends and met some great people during my stay there.

I remember my friend Julie Lauman from Rockhampton and I can only pray that she and her family are coping well with the flood situation should it affect her. Julie I know you as a strong person and I hope you continue to be so during this difficult time.

I know a friend from Toowoomba, Darryl Burstow now a prominent Cardiologist in Brisbane. Darryl,  a quite but highly intelligent man in our group whose family has a thriving business in the Garden City. I am very proud of your achievement in the medical field. I hope you and your family are not too badly affected.

Being a high school student, I had a host family Mr and Mrs Emray with whom I have lost contact. They lived in Graceville which was inundated. I also recall my helpful and supportive Australian Education Dept officer, Mr  Richard Whittington and his Indonesian wife,Christine and their three lovely children, who used to live in the suburb of Kenmore which I understand to have been affected badly as well. And Mrs Dobelis whom I used to stay with in Milton when I was doing matriculation. Milton was one of the most badly affected suburbs as it is near the river.Dear, dear Mrs Dobelis who was like a mother to me. I hope your son Maurice would look after you and ensure your safety and comfort.

Yes, my best friend Allison Powell now practicing in Bundaberg which was also inundated. Allison you are in my prayer. I hope you insured your GP clinic.

I also remember my dear friends Edna and Lito who used to own a house by the Brisbane River and later sold it and moved to Capalaba which I believe, is  at a higher ground. I have yet to contact them. In fact I am supposed to visit them and my other old friends in Brisbane this February after so many years of leaving Brisbane but unfortunately I have to postpone the trip to June or July on account of the massive post-flood cleaning up that the city has to undertake. It is no joy when you see mud and things strewn all around the city. I want to see the Brisbane I left which was a beautiful city, clean and serene.

When I first stepped my foot in Queensland, I noticed many of the houses in areas such as Milton, Auchenflower and Rosalie were built on stilts. I did wonder why it was so and now I realised that the Brisbane river has been known to overflow and flooding had occurred in the past and only such houses were suitable in that situation. As the great flood seemed to occur a generation apart, people tend to forget and build their houses fairly low and as a result suffer terribly in terms of losses in their possessions. 

Last but not least, I fondly remember my friend JDC I hope and pray that he and his family are safe and that his house is spared though the Brisbane CBD was closed for the days when the flood was peaking and he could not conduct his court cases. J  if you read this posting you know that I have never forgotten you despite what had happened. I am following your court cases and the rulings you make. I remember when you were the young enthusiastic Barrister and I was the besotted medical undergrad, how you enjoyed telling me about your cases especially those you had won on technical ground.. Ahhh... I could hear now the melodious song "Nostalgie" by Julio Iglesias playing in my sentimental mind and of course your  favourite song  "Feelings" by Morris Albert... time now to wake up from my reverie..

Devastating Queensland floods  truly sadden me as I remember my friends. You are all in my thought and prayer.

NB: For those of you who would like to donate to the Disaster Relief Appeal  please go to the Queensland government website here  http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html


May God bless you all for your kindness to fellow human beings.