In Australia, Queenslanders Remember the 2011 Floods

 

Mark Kempton was one of the first on the scene.

 

[Mark Kempton, Senior Helicopter Pilot, Emergency Management Queensland]:

 

“People were on rooftops that could have been ripped apart at any time and that was the force of the water that day in the Lockyer Valley. It was horrendous, so we were in shock and I guess our training and the desire to save those people kicked in, and that’s when we just started into action, started winching and kept going until literally we ran out of fuel and couldn’t do any more.”

 

John and Kathy Mahon, along with their family, clung desperately to their roof, hoping to be saved.

 

[John and Kathy Mahon, Flood Survivors]:

 

“I thought I would lose my wife Kathy and my two daughters and two lovely little grandsons. That water just came in so fast and your home’s supposed to be a place where you are safe.”

 

John thought that he and his family were going to die that day.

 

[John and Kathy Mahon, Flood Survivors]:

 

“Tell everyone we love you. You’ll probably find our bodies in the kitchen. We said the Lord’s Prayer and we were ready to die.”

 

Meeting the Queen during her Australian tour last October was an uplifting moment.

 

“To meet Her Majesty was just so great; it was – really thrilled. I was shaking in my knees when she was coming along the line and thinking, wow. It was a real wow factor to us.”

 

The Premier of Queensland acknowledged the community spirit.

 

[Hon Anna Bligh, The Premier of Queensland]:

 

“What we have seen here in the Lockyer Valley is mirrored right across Queensland. Communities that refused to give up, communities that pull together when they could have been pulled apart and used that strength to rebuild. I think there are many parts of the world where this just wouldn’t be possible.” 

 

Signs of the devastating floods can be seen everywhere, but as the people of the Lockyer Valley rebuild their lives, they have moved a nation with their courage and determination.

 

[Hon Anna Bligh, The Premier of Queensland]:

 

“It was your example that shone like a beacon, your courage and strength that helped all of us get through it. So, thank you to the Lockyer Valley.”

 

NTD News, Queensland, Australia