QUEENSLAND FLOODS

 G'Day

This posting is about the three weeks that we spent in Queensland working for a contract insurance assessing company who had been appointed by several insurance companies to assess the damage that had been caused by the floods in Queensland.

I am only going to do a basic overview of what we did up there and then let the pictures do the talking as it is difficult to put into words the destruction and devastation that the floods caused.

Maree and I were part of a six person team that my son David had put together to travel into the flood devastated areas in and around Brisbane.

We spent 21 days up there mainly working in Ipswich but also in Toowoomba and in Brisbane suburbs near the Brisbane river. 

The workload up there for all insurance companies was horrendous and our team was working 7 days per week, 14 hour days for 21 days straight.

There were many hundreds of assessors on the ground both in Brisbane and also in North Queensland where the cyclone hit, who I imagine were doing similar hours.

The temperature and humidity up there was unbearable and as soon as you got out of your motel room. each morning, to get into the car you were basically drenched and wet for the day. It was very uncomfortable.

The humidity was the worst and added to that there was several days of torrential rain which made it extremely difficult to keep your paperwork dry let alone your self.

However the conditions that we as assessors had to endure was nowhere near as bad as the difficulties, heartache, despair and despondency that a lot of affected people had to endure due to their losses.

Apart from the fact that many people who were affected by these floods, the final nail in the coffin for a high percentage of them was the fact that they were not covered for flood damage by their insurance company.

These were the hardest jobs to do, from a personal point of view, as most of them had an expectation that they were covered for their losses.

A lot of people just put up "For Sale" signs and walked away as they were in the 1974 floods and this was the second time that they had been wiped out.

The pictures that follow speak for themselves and I hope give an insight to what people have endured due to these floods.

The flood level for this house went over the top of the house

The kitchen in most houses had lots of damage

Another kitchen

1 metre water level

Foundations undermined requiring engineers inspection 

Another kitchen

Complete bathrooms

Kitchen appliances destroyed

Speaks for itself - one of the lower heights - The houses to the left down the street were probably submerged

Water line 2 metres

All contents destroyed

Water line inside the house

This was a Tri-Level house and this is stairs to the third level

Undermined foundations requiring engineers report

Most devastating ones were the ones where the house was completely submerged in water

Water flow stripped this kitchen cupboards

Water level 1.5 metres high

Water level not very high but just as damaging

Over the top water level - this was a brand new kitchen fitted days prior to the floods

All of these photos are unrelated to each other and are random samples of just some of the many hundreds of photos that Maree and I took during our inspections.

They probably don't do justice to the amount of pain and suffering that people suffered during the floods but I hope that they give an insight into what we saw up there.

My next posting will be over the coming weeks and will bring us up to date with whats been happening up to now.

See ya all soon

Bill and Maree 

YARRA VALLEY TO SYDNEY

 

Home again

Due to the fact that I had to cut short my last blog this posting completes the trip from Barraba to Barraba.

I will do a new post  over the next week or so to cover our trip to Queensland and what we did for the 22 days that we were there.

Previously I was attempting to make light of the fact that everytime that Kennedy and I discuss the weather he always claims that Victoria weather is sunnier and better than Sydney so the long and short of it all is that for the 5 days that we were there it rained for most of it.

Since that time he informs me that his water tank, which was about a third full when we were at his place, has subsequently filled to about 3/4 full I think a height that he rarely sees.

I REST MY CASE Kennedy!!!

Anyhow on Thursday 13th after our jaunt to Healesville we decided that we could not visit Victoria without going to Victoria Markets so packed the UBD and off we headed.

Vic markets is a fascinating place to go to with the many arrays of stalls selling cheap junk to some of the most expensive real Australian leather goods of great quality and many stalls in between.

We wandered the stalls for a couple of hours and then moved across to the fruit markets where the bartering and touting that goes on can at times be deafening. However you always pick up good quality fruit at a very good price.

But then when you think it is all over you head to the meat markets. There are about 10 different delicatessens, numerous butchers, fish mongers and bread shops right across the one building it is awesome and fabulous.

This is the main reason that we love going to Vic markets. We spent about an hour in this section and came a away with a magnificent array of continental meats, savouries and antipasto. We had a ball that night before dinner over a couple of glasses (oops bottles) of wine.

On the way home from the markets we stopped at Healesville again and had lunch at a little cafe called Monroes and once you got inside and sat down there is loads of memorabilia about Marilyn Monroe.

Apart from the internal setting the food was fantastic as we both had one of our favourite dishes 'lambs fry' and it was cooked and presented to perfection.

A great day out.

Friday 14th January and this leg of our journey is almost over. We had organised to do a day trip to Kew Gardens where we wandered around the gardens and had lunch.

Back to Kangaroo ground and all set for a nice evening and just chatting about different issues and listening to music.

On the verandah, that evening,  we decided to make one last effort at trying to find the sun and as these photos suggest it was a mighty task.

 

 No luck again!!

We  had a very enjoyable last night with our good friends at Kangaroo Ground which is a magnificent hideaway not far out of the Yarra Valley which in itself is a magnificent part of the world.

However to be fair we did get a glimpse of the sun as it slipped from behind a cloud and into the sunset!!! 

But then it happened!!! - Saturday morning 16th January and we woke up to (you guessed it) a magnificent sunny morning without a hint of clouds or rain. At last the allusive sunshine turned up  but guess what we leave today and we will not get to experience much of it at all.

Anyhow not to worry as we will be heading back to sunny Sydney for the best part of a week and we should be able to re-acquaint ourselves with what the sun looks and feels like.

A final farewell and goodbyes all round and we are hooked up and ready for the next leg of our trip which is to stay with our friends Vince and Lyn just out of Nowra and a lunch with my sister who lives in Shoalhaven Heads.

We had planned to drive up the coast to Nowra but because of all the rain and flooding that Victoria was having we decided on the safe way and headed back up the Hume Highway and cut across through Picton.

We left Kangaroo Ground and our trip back included winding narrow roads also passing through some very nice smaller towns  along the way and of course contained  the traditional wrong turn, which we are getting quite used to now, and finally into Melbourne on the wrong side of town.

Don’t ask how but we managed to do it.

So instead of a nice relaxing trip on the expressway it turned into one of those ducking and weaving in between trams and loads of traffic trips passing the MCG and finding our way back onto Sydney Road through the Melbourne suburbs on a Saturday morning.

Ah well why worry!!

When we finally met the open road we stopped at a small roadside stall and bought some beautiful large strawberries, pistachio nuts and olives, They made for a great snack to relieve the stress of spending a couple of hours of out of the way and off course touring.

We stayed Albury on Saturday night and after settling in we decided to have dinner at the Services Club in town which turned out to be very enjoyable.

An early night and into bed ready for the next leg of the trip. 

Sunday 17^th and commenced our trip to Nowra with a stopover at Goulburn. After an uneventful drive we arrived at Goulburn around lunch time and settled in for the night. Cooked up a nice dinner and then off to bed and relax for our next stage.

Monday morning 18th and a quick walk around the park to see what it looked like and we found some very interesting things that the park contained.

You would never in a million years guess what I found  very close to our site and opposite the main office. My mate Shayne, from my previous job with the CBA, was performing live to the masses who were in the park at the time.

From memory there was about 5 vans in that night and some people in the cabins. 

Didn't matter though we had a great time listening to his rock band live at about 8:30 in the morning.

They call themselves the "Band-Ants" pretty savvy name huh!!!! - Ah well it was a gig huh Shayne?

  

 

This is Shayne - Pretty nifty huh!!!

 

Had a great morning listening to the bandants and then decided to head towards Nowra and the next leg of the trip.

We had a leisurely drive from Goulburn to Shoalhaven Heads and we picked up some lunch on the way to my sister's place where we arrived at about 12:30.

Maree prepared lunch and we had a good catch up with Carmel over lunch and a cuppa with a bun, rather pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

We had previously arranged for another of my sisters to meet us for a get together on Tuesday 19th at Vince and Lyn's place at Nowra near HMAS Albatross.

So after the usual goodbyes and kissy kissy we left the Heads on our way to Nowra and the next bit of freeloading that most of our trip was about.

We arrived at Vince and Lyn's place at about 2:30 or so and unhooked and set up the caravan for the next couple of days and cracked open a couple of stubbies to celebrate our arrival.

Visitors of a morning and evening were the order of the day and there was plenty of them all around the property.

We had a lovely meal that night cooked up by Lyn who is an excellent cook and served up plenty of good country style tucker which we all appreciated very much. 

Lyn's son and daughter were also visiting at the time we were there and it turned out to be a very enjoyable night chewing over the fat with Vince and Lyn again.

Vince and I went to TAFE together initially at Ultimo and then at Bankstown in 1964 or 1965 which was along time ago. I remember back that far but I think Vince struggles!!

Next day Wednesday the 19th we woke up to the sound and smell of sizzling bacon so out of bed and over to the house to see what was happening. Vince was cooking up a storm for breakfast  so we invited ourselves in and helped them dispose of the food. Excellent.

After breakfast we went for a drive into Nowra to pick up some groceries as I was looking forward to a BBQ for dinner that night. But alas I was told that the BBQ was not working as it had been blown off the balcony in a storm.

Wasn't about to let a little problem like that get in the way. So we bought BBQ meat in town and when we returned from Nowra stripped the BBQ to find out what the problem was.  

Just a few minor problems that we sorted out and then a clean up, re-assemble and hit the ignition and it was as good as new.

Burnt the plates back in as they had been sitting around for some time. Carmel and Trish (my older sisters) and Bobby Trishes son turned up just before lunch for a chin wag so we ripped open a couple of chickens set up a salad and then hoed in to a great lunch.

By the end of lunch we had eaten and laughed our way through about 50 years of growing up, parties, a bit of BS and all the terrible things that my sisters did to me as the only boy in a family of 8 kids. Anyway I survived.

After lunch there was more talking and laughing and then it was time for them to go. So more kissy kissy and see ya laters and off they headed home.

Sat on the verandah for a while and then decided it was time to crack a few stubbies, knock the top off a couple of bottles of wine for the women and then vegetate. Great past time.

We flashed up the BBQ later in the evening and rounded off a great day with a bang up dinner and off to bed to sleep off what was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.

Next morning Thursday 20th and I flashed up the BBQ for breakfast prior to packing up and heading North to Narrabeen Lakes for our final few days away.

We arrived at Narrabeen Lakes on Thursday evening after an unevetful drive from Nowra and immediately set up the caravan for a four day stay and catch up with friends and relations.

Maree's brother and family turned up with all their gear for a BBQ in the park and after they arrived the Kids went for a swim down at the lake.

Brian had bought up his portable BBQ so we set it up and commenced making dinner. Charmaine had made up a great salad as well as some excellent entrees so we cracked open the stubbies and wine and tucked in. 

We had a great night!! So great that when Brian and Charmaine left it was late and the office was closed so they could not get out through the boom gate so we had to go up and let them out with our key.

Next day we woke up fairly early and rang my friend Hellen whom we were to meet on Saturday but neither of us were able to make that day so we caught up on Friday 21st.

We had a nice time together with Hellen and her family as we stayed for a couple of hours but as we had other commitments in the afternoon we were unable to stay for lunch so we made a rain check.

Whilst we were there my son David rang me and asked if I could go to Queensland with him and 4 other people to do Insurance Assessing for a number of contract assessing companies in Queensland.

We agreed to do it for him and we had to cut our visit short with Hellen, but we will make it up with her soon, and also cut our holiday short as he wanted us up there on Monday 24th for 21 days.

A quick trip back to the caravan park and pack up the van ready to leave on Saturday for Barraba. We stayed at Scone on Saturday night and headed to Barraba on Sunday to drop off the van and pack up ready for the trip to Queensland on Monday.

We arrived at Barraba at 12:00 noon and a quick dash around town to organise a relief driver for three weeks for the bus run, arrangements for fueling up whilst we were away and a back up driver for Maree's mail run.

All organised by the end of the day and dropped into bed and a 5:30am rise on Monday 24th for the trip to Brisbane.

I will update in a new posting what we did in Queensland and what we have been doing since.



See Ya Soon


Maree and Bill