Reflections three years after the great flood of 2011
- January 16th, 2014
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Once upon a time Brisbane residents would invoke ’74 as a year to be remembered – hallowed in time as a dark period in the city’s history of natural disasters. For those of us hit by floodwaters in 2011, that is now the year we refer to. To remember 2011 is to recall the heat, the rain, the mud, the smell, the endless work, the exhaustion … but also to remember how the state stood proud, shoulder to shoulder as friends and strangers helped their mates and neighbours.
At the annual dinner with our neighbours that has become a tradition every January in the week the floodwaters inundated us, we asked each other, “What were you doing on this day three years ago? Do you remember the smell of the mud? Do you remember how much work that was? Remember when you said …” And on and on it went.
There’s a bond forged with people that went through the flood with us and with those that helped that will never be undone. We went through hell and mud and came back – we’re still here.
In memory of the lives that were lost in January 2011 and the devastation that swept through Queensland and New South Wales, and concerns for those currently affected by bushfires, drought and other events around the country, here are some photos of the spirit of that time so when we remember the horror of what unfolded, we also remember how the community rallied. Thank you Brisbane.
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All images are purchasable through the Visited Planet database. Feel free to email Jo at [email protected] with your comments/thoughts/photo aspirations. See and learn more at www.visitedplanet.com
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