Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to put on the record how delighted I was to attend the Disaster Recognition Ceremony at South Bank in Brisbane on Sunday 12 June 2011. At this ceremony we paid tribute to our many Queensland and Brisbane flood heroes. Can I say from the outset how honoured I am to represent an electorate and a state where so many brave people, young and old, went to extreme lengths to help their neighbours, friends, family and in some cases total strangers in their time of need.

At ceremonies held across the state as part of Queensland Week 2011, 3,500 men and women from across Queensland were acknowledged for their efforts. It makes it truly inspiring to call Queensland home. As a community, as a city and as a state we fronted up to the challenge, we supported each other and we came through it stronger and more determined than ever.

My electorate suffered, but Ryan is a wonderful community. Indeed, it is a collection of communities. It is a special place where people look out for one another, where friends and even total strangers greet one another and, most importantly, where people do not hesitate when asked to go above and beyond the call of duty.

It is worth noting that during the January floods, no-one had to be asked to help. Busloads of the very heroes we honoured two Sundays ago turned up in droves to parks, streets and neighbourhoods all over Brisbane. With a bucket, mop and gloves in hand, locals were ready to help and ready to get our beautiful city back on its feet. It is fair to say that Brisbane would not have recovered as quickly without our heroes.

It is quite astonishing to comprehend, but with the help of the Army we achieved in three days what took three months after the 1974 floods. Much credit must go to the extraordinary leadership and work ethic of former Lord Mayor Campbell Newman, and to the Brisbane City Council, who arranged tetanus shots and organised the buses to get our heroes where they were needed.

There were so many everyday heroes who simply got out and about and helped with the clean-up. They are the reason the city of Brisbane was back on its feet in a matter of days. We really have so much to thank them for. Their work was extraordinary. It was a great privilege to witness so many of these flood heroes receive their awards. It was a moving ceremony, as it had been a moving experience to watch the outpour of community spirit during the January 2011 floods.

When the floodwaters came, Brisbane was hit hard and hit fast. Thankfully, the community responded just as rapidly. It was humbling to see both friends and strangers go to each other's assistance. Whether it was helping to evacuate the elderly from their homes, or cooking for the tireless volunteers in the street, the fact is that if there was a job to be done there was someone in Brisbane prepared to volunteer and get it done.

I still to this day recall a visitor from America who was so completely amazed at the traffic jam of volunteers coming into Brisbane. I remember this young fellow saying that only in Australia would you see people actually driving towards the disaster.

The Disaster Recognition Ceremony in South Bank on Sunday was about paying tribute to the remarkable Brisbane residents who went above and beyond the call of duty. It saw the volunteers, emergency services workers and community members thanked for their steadfast community service during this summer of disasters.

As the federal member for Ryan I want to pay tribute to our outstanding community, our volunteers, our emergency service men and women and of course our everyday Brisbane residents who picked up their mops and buckets and were ready to be put to work. There are so many heroes around Queensland who contributed in so many ways following the floods and Cyclone Yasi. Many were acknowledged on the weekend and of course others will go unnoticed. The fact of the matter is that as a state we shone through those dark days. Again this has highlighted for me what a great place our community is to live, work and raise a family in, and I am very proud to represent it in the federal parliament.

Finally, we should never forget that there are so many people who have still not recovered from these disasters. As much as the physical damage may have been cleared away, they still need our support.