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| The Drift restaurant was washed down the river during the 2011 Brisbane River flood. |
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| HEARTACHE: David Moore surveys the remains of Drift restaurant which was destroyed in the floods of January 2011. |
TWO years ago, the world watched as David Moore's dream was destroyed.
Tomorrow he tells Frances Whiting his dramatic story of devastation and hope in Qweekend magazine, which returns for 2013 in The Saturday Courier-Mail.
The former owner of Drift restaurant, which was perched on a Milton riverbank, saw his livelihood wash away when the Brisbane River took his business on January 12, 2011.
Footage of the cafe smashing into the Go Between Bridge became an enduring image of that devastating summer of disasters, illustrating the awesome power of the surging waters.
After the river peaked at 4.45m, Drift was declared a disaster zone and Mr Moore and his fellow salvage workers were ordered to leave the site.
Now Mr Moore has told how, with an additional 15 minutes before the evacuation order, firemen would have cut the cafe loose from the riverbank, allowing it to float.
Instead, the restaurant broke its moorings and went to a watery grave.
"Getting Drift up and running had been such a slog, it's hard to describe just how difficult it had been, but we'd made it," Mr Moore tells Qweekend. "We'd won the award, we'd taken it from about 20 people for lunch to 200, we had really solid bookings for the future, and I just wanted to just stop for a moment and celebrate."
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| RESCUE EFFORT: Emergency workers battle to save drift restaurant on the river at Coronation Drive after it broke from its moorings. |
In the interview, he describes the catastrophic scene that broke his heart on returning to Drift. "It was worse, actually, than what I'd imagined," he says.
"I didn't know what to do so I started cleaning. I picked up a bucket I found and started putting rubbish into it."
Without the correct flood coverage and, still recovering from the shock of losing the cafe, he found himself drowning in a mounting pile of debt.
"The floods affected a lot of people in the hospitality industry and people were desperate to be paid what was owing to them," he says.
"No one seemed to be able to tell me what to do."
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January 13. 2011: Part of the Drift Restaurant that broke its moorings is towed into the Port of Brisbane. |
His only option was to seek compensation from the State Government.
Mr Moore tells about his struggle for compensation and the impact on his relationship with his partner.
Drift and Mr Moore relocated to firmer ground, at Brookwater Golf and Country Club, in May 2011 and plans are afoot to rebuild the former restaurant at Milton.
18.1.13
