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WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: Brisbane's mud army moves in to clean up at Kenmore, one of many places across Queensland affected by 2011's summer of devastastion. |
TWO years ago today, as rising floodwaters swamped the suburbs of Brisbane and Ipswich, this column focused on hope.
It was of the hope that the renowned Queensland spirit would come to the fore despite the tragedy we knew our community was about to endure; that out of the adversity that was inevitably ours as a community in the coming days was the chance to define the character of 21st century Queensland as positive and resilient.
Today, we can all take a moment to proudly reflect that our community rose to that challenge, and more. And we can celebrate that it is not the statistics alone that will be the enduring memory of those disastrous days.
Two years on, it can proudly be reported that the enduring story of the great floods of 2010-11 is one of triumph of our community. It is the story of the tens of thousands of volunteers who spontaneously emerged as the floodwaters subsided, of those unforgettable scenes as battalions of strangers fanned out across Queensland - shovels and buckets in gloved hands - to help.
As such, it is fitting that the second anniversary of the worst natural disaster in Queensland's history is marked today by news of the formal commemoration of those volunteers.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard's promise of funding to commission and build a commemorative statue to the so-called Mud Army is a fitting tribute.
The story of the Mud Army, and the statue which will now immortalise those amazing scenes, is a reminder of the Queensland spirit of resilience, generosity and self-sacrifice - of knuckling down and getting through it all when the mud hits the fan.
The symbolism should also be a reminder though that there is always work to be done; that we can always do things better and smarter.
As we mark this second anniversary of the flood disaster that is worth holding front of mind as we continue to wrestle with the challenges of regulating for an insurance industry that is fair and equitable for all stakeholders. The commitment to rebuilding no matter what the cost and the energy required should also be drawn upon when we consider the fact still less than half the recommendations of the flood inquiry have been implemented nearly a year after the release of the report.
Our editorial of January 12, 2011, declared that there was no doubting our community's ability to rise to the occasion; that we would prevail despite an imminent disaster that would stretch us to the limit.
Today all Queenslanders can reflect with pride on our success. We were knocked down. But we got up again.
www.CourierMail.com.au
12.1.13
