As I write this Councillor Column, it is the 15th of February 2025. The sun has finally come out, giving us a break in this disastrous February 2025 flood event with the recovery efforts in full swing. The devastation that Mother Nature has dealt has affected every individual, and the loss of life of two of our own residents is particularly heartbreaking. Our businesses, non-for-profit organisations and agricultural sectors have been ravaged in our Shire and it is saddening to see. However, as we have witnessed in previous times of natural disasters, we will regroup, rebuild better and move forward as a community.

Your elected councillors have been delegated to form the Hinchinbrook Local Recovery Group, with Deputy Mayor Mary Brown as the chair of the of the Master Recovery Group and Cr Pat Lynch as the deputy chair. Under the Master Recovery Group, there will be four subgroups that will report to the Master Recovery Group. These are the Human-Social Recovery Sub Group chaired by Cr Donna Marbelli; the Environmental Recovery Sub Group chaired by Cr Kate Milton; the Infrastructure Recovery Sub Group chaired by Cr Andrew Carr; and the Economic Recovery Sub Group chaired by me, Cr Mark Spina.

Based on previous recovery plans, we will focus on a locally led approach involving individuals, families, community groups, businesses and agricultural sectors along side all levels of government to identify and match our recovery efforts to the needs of the community. To achieve this, Hinchinbrook Shire Council will facilitate a locally led approach that prioritises the impacted community to manage and actively participate in their own recovery while considering the values, culture, and needs of all those affected by the disaster. It is important to recognise that the greater community may identify different recovery pathways and that we must remain flexible to meet the changing recovery needs of those affected by this disaster.

Please keep up to date with Disaster Recovery Grants that are available by visiting www.qld.gov.au/ community/disasters-emergencies and above all take care of yourselves and your neighbours during this difficult time, be kind and try to remain positive.

Now that the water has receded, the recovery efforts are in full swing.

Contracts have been let for flood damaged goods collection and the majority of the Ingham township has now been collected. The crews, consisting of over 20 trucks, excavators, backhoes, and bobcats are now proceeding into the Lower Herbert areas. Road work crews are also in the field ensuring all accessible areas are safe. Priority is being given to ensure that everyone is able to access their properties.
 
On the social front, the Community Recovery Hub is in full operation at the Tafe building on Townsville Road, and outreach hubs are occurring in the smaller communities about the district. The hubs are available to assist our residents with a great deal of information including hardship funding and available grants, insurance matters and information on other valuable assistance available to residents.

Recovery processes are available digitally on Council’s Disaster Dashboard and Facebook pages.

Information will continue to be published promptly.

Council’s Disaster Centre remains open for anyone seeking assistance and I urge you all to call if you are needing assistance.

The SES and Queensland Rural Fires continue to assist all residents with house cleanouts and if you require assistance in that regard, please ring 132500 immediately.

Getting back to where we were is going to take a long long time, but please do not suffer in silence. There are plenty of people around to try and assist you out as best as possible, so please do not hesitate to reach out.

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While local residents were without power during the recent widespread flooding event Ingham Meals on Wheels were able to pump out meals to people in need thanks to their generator.

President of Ingham Meals On Wheels Rita Phillips said power went off and the generator kicked in as it was supposed to.

Despite the ability to cook food, however, progress was stalled on Monday 3rd February when Ingham Meals on Wheels were unable to deliver food to clients and people in need, due to their own staff being flooded in and unable to reach Meals on Wheels on Eleanor Street.

Thankfully, Ingham Meals on Wheels were able to start operations on Wednesday 5th February but, with limited stock, they had to reheat frozen meals and had limited supply chain capabilities.

During the crisis, the team of staff and volunteers not only helped their regular clients but also anyone else in need.

Kitchen Coordinator Jamie Belcher said they also made 191 servings of soup for the Cyclone Shelter which was full of evacuated people.

Along the way, the team were blessed with donations which included pizzas, sausage rolls and party pies from Coles. Meals on Wheels heated the items and donated them to firies, ambulance workers and more families in need.

By Friday last week, supply chain capabilities had increased and they could deliver to all of their clients, including Forrest Beach and Lower Herbert and by Saturday they could also cook meals once again.

Throughout the week Rita and Jamie said people and organisations had been amazing with donations, and Coles had just donated 100 bags of potatoes.

Ingham Meals on Wheels have been flat out with cooking and deliveries, but it’s all worth it to them knowing that they are getting nice hot meals to people in need.

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Whilst many residents of the Hinchinbrook Shire had power, some still did not, and with the shops scarce of produce the Ingham Lions Club held a sausage sizzle on Monday 10th February outside Ingham Swimming Pool.

Second Vice District Governor Ed Morris and Ingham Lions Club Vice President Silvia Poggio said that the event was there to help the community.

“It’s a part of what us Lions do following a disaster,” they said.

“We will continue to do it and it's to help the community.

“There are people that have come this morning, that still don’t have power and they’ve got no food.”

A main focus of the Lion’s Club is to raise spirits and make people feel a little bit happier.

Having the sausage sizzle was also about igniting conversations and building morale in the community.

In addition to serving those who attended the event, the Lions also delivered sausage sizzles around the area, to ensure that everybody was a part of the community spirit, and were not left out.

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Applications are now open for the 2025 Backing the Future program, which offers $50,000 grants to individuals in remote, rural, and regional Queensland. The funding is aimed at supporting people aged 18 and over who are working on innovative projects designed to improve the lives of young people aged 12-30 in these communities.

What sets the Backing the Future program apart is that it funds individuals, not just organisations. This removes one of the common barriers to accessing funding and gives people the freedom to develop new ideas that have the potential to make a lasting impact.

VFFF CEO Jenny Wheatley said the program offers a unique opportunity to back transformative ideas at an early stage.

“We have already supported 17 incredible community changemakers in QLD through previous rounds of this program, and we look forward to backing 10 new ideas that will create lasting impacts for young people in their communities,” she said.

The program focuses on projects that have been in development for fewer than three years, recognising that the hardest part of starting a new initiative is often securing funding for early-stage work, particularly in rural and remote areas. Backing the Future provides the resources needed to test and refine these ideas.

Past grantees have used their funding to launch new events, social enterprises, and even charities that continue to benefit young people in Queensland. One recipient, Jameson Harvey, used his grant to deliver robotics workshops to remote schools, giving students access to STEM education that would otherwise be out of reach.

FRRR CEO Natalie Egleton highlighted the program’s potential to provide new opportunities for youth in rural areas.

“We know that young people are the future of vibrant, resilient and sustainable rural communities. By providing opportunities that strengthen their connection and open doors to new possibilities, we can empower them to create transformative outcomes for themselves and their communities.”

Applications for the 2025 Backing the Future program close on the 17th of March. Those interested in applying can reach out to FRRR’s Youth Futures team for guidance or attend a webinar on the 5th of February to learn more. For further information or to apply, visit www.frrr.org.au/backing-the-future.

Simon Hood
Wilmar Manager Grower Marketing

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It has been a challenging time across our growing communities, with every region affected to various degrees by the recent rain event.
The Herbert region obviously bore the brunt of it with extensive flood damage, lengthy power outages, communication issues and prolonged supply issues.
In the Burdekin, we had floodwater through Invicta Mill at Giru twice in the space of one week, and the whole region was impacted by localised flooding, highway closures and access issues. Our Proserpine region had some local flooding and minor track damage while Plane Creek largely dodged a bullet.
As our Grower Marketing consultants live in the regions, they have been reaching out to our growers to check in on their general well-being as well as assessing crop status for this year’s harvest.
It’s too early to say what the impact will be on the 2025 crop. Suffice to say that we need a bit of clear weather to allow growers to get into fields to visually assess crop status – particularly in the Herbert.
A few days of sun will also allow us to do a detailed inspection of our Herbert rail network and get the job under way of assessing bridges and replacing ballast that was washed away by floodwater.
Our Grower Marketing team has also used this period of time to talk growers through the wash-up of pricing for the 2024 season.
Even with final deliveries and CCS being lower than estimates, there were very few hard washouts, which is a good result.
There is still a portion of pricing to be done for the tidy up of the 2024 season with growers hoping for a kick above $700/t to close out their orders. Growers appear to be targeting $650/t as the next level to fix some more 2025 Season GEI sugar exposure.
Interestingly, results from our survey of growers last year indicated that, among the things that keep them awake at night, sugar price volatility ranked number four while the weather came in at number seven.
A quick reminder for growers who may need a cash injection with the disruptions caused by the recent flooding. Our Pre-Season Payment allows for an advance of $5/t cane for all cane nominated to Wilmar.

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Mirusia Louwerse is no stranger to Ingham, on Friday 24th January Mirusia was the Hinchinbrook Shire Australia Day Awards Ambassador, and in March she returns for her Ingham performance debut.

On the 15th of March Mirusia will be performing ‘Celebration’ at the JL Kelly Theatre in Ingham.

Mirusia is looking forward to her Ingham return, she is eager to showcase her classical crossover music.

“Today (Friday 24th January) I had the fortune of being able to be a tourist in your city and look around, and I saw some incredible things, it is so beautiful here,” said Mirusia.

“It's like farm meets tropical island. It's just so gorgeous and I had a really great time.”

“The thing I'm really looking forward to, though, is bringing my music to Ingham, and that means classical crossover music, music I've performed around the world with André Rieu, the music that I've written, and also some special requests as well that I've already had on my social media from fans in Ingham.”

Mirusia describes her music as classical crossover and that means it isn’t as daunting as traditional opera music.

“Classical crossover is a little bit more accessible. It sort of is classical music brought in a more modern, I want to say jacket, we jush it up a little bit and make it a bit more accessible to somebody who may never have dared to go and see classical music before,” said Mirusia.

“André Rieu was a fantastic forefather of the classical crossover genre, along with Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman and I do it in my own way, so the Mirusia way.”

Mirusia has performed her music all over the world, including with the fantastic André Rieu.

She explained that her grandmother had sent her EP to André without her knowledge and one day she had André Rieu on the phone, asking her if she would like to accompany him on a world tour.

From her time with André Rieu Mirusia learned a lot, and she will bring all of that experience with her on her Ingham debut in March.

What: ‘Celebration’ by Mirusia
Where: JL Kelly Theatre
When: Saturday 15 March at 5pm

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The barramundi fishing season in Queensland officially opens on the 1st of February each year, following a seasonal closure from November 1st through to February 1st.
This closure is vital for the protection of the species as it occurs during the critical spawning period, allowing barramundi to reproduce without the added pressure of fishing activity. During this time, the fish are able to spawn and strengthen their population, helping to ensure that barramundi numbers remain healthy and sustainable for years to come.

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This seasonal closure plays a pivotal role in the long-term conservation efforts of barramundi. It not only supports the fish during their most vulnerable period but also helps to safeguard the future of barramundi fishing in Queensland. The decision to close the season during spawning times ensures that the fish can reproduce successfully, which is essential for maintaining a healthy and thriving population.
For anglers who are eager to fish for barramundi once the season opens, it is essential to adhere to the regulations in place. The minimum legal size for barramundi is 58 cm, and the maximum size is capped at 120 cm.

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In addition to size regulations, there are also possession limits in place to help prevent overfishing and maintain sustainable practices. Each person is permitted to possess a maximum of five barramundi, with a boat limit of 10 fish if there are two or more anglers on board.
By respecting the seasonal closures and abiding by the size and possession limits, anglers play an important role in ensuring the ongoing health of Queensland's barramundi populations.

This year, for the first time ever, two recipients were awarded the Shire Citizens Award at the Hinchinbrook Shire’s Australia Day Awards presentation. Rita and Keith Phillips were both worthy winners for their significant contributions to the community.

Along with Rita and Keith, Coen Luxford won the Young Shire Citizen Award, for his amazing contributions.

Keith Phillips has been recognised for his vital contributions to the Lower Herbert community, including his leadership in building the Lower Herbert Seniors Centre, a 21-unit apartment complex in Halifax. Alongside his wife, Rita, Keith donated land, funds, and countless hours to establish the new Meals on Wheels centre on Eleanor Street.

Rita Phillips was acknowledged for her voluntary work with Meals on Wheels and the Anglican Church. She played a key role in redeveloping the Meals on Wheels facility, coordinating volunteers, managing finances, and ensuring its sustainability. As Warden and Lay Minister for the Hinchinbrook Anglican Diocese, Rita oversees church operations and organises the monthly Conroy Hall Markets.

Together, Keith and Rita were both worthy winners of the award and their dedication and generosity have profoundly impacted their community.

Despite their enormous dedication to the community, they stress that they do not do these things for awards.

“The community has been very good to us since we’ve been here, and we just like to give something back to the community,” said Keith Phillips.

“Just to be nominated is a great thing, I think it’s great to get recognition by people in the community that think you’ve done things for them, and to receive the award is just as special.”

Rita said she was overwhelmed with the win.

“We don't do things to be out front, I like to be behind the scenes, and we're just fortunate that we can help people,” said Rita Phillips.

“There's a lot of vulnerable people here that need help either through Meals on Wheels or even our Lions Club and winning the award is just a bit overwhelming.”

Shire Young Citizen Award was presented to Coen Luxford for drumming at all local ANZAC Day parades, his involvement with the Ingham Theatre Group, and serving as Junior Sports Captain and now Senior School Captain at Ingham State High School. In 2024, Coen represented the Hinchinbrook Electorate as a State Junior Member in the Queensland Youth Parliament, attending Parliament House numerous times to represent the region.

Hinchinbrook Shire Australia Day Awards Ambassador Mirusia Louwerse was present on the night, and she presented awards, gave a speech and sang the national anthem.

At the Hinchinbrook Shire Council Australia Day Awards, many other awards were given out too:

Junior Sports Award
Liam Fascetti

Senior Sports Award
Ally Rhodes

Junior Cultural Award
Kaitlyn Rapista

Senior Cultural Award
Alan Giles

Individual Achievement Award
Helen Stanton

Community Event of the Year Award
Dean Schifilliti Shield held by Herbert River Junior Rugby League

Beryl Prior Memorial – Service to the Community Award
Evlyn Bailey
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Cassowary Coast Regional Council is reminding anglers to dispose of fish frames responsibly to maintain clean public spaces and protect the environment.

Here’s how you can help!
Take It Home: Avoid unpleasant smells and pests by freezing fish frames until bin collection day.

Enrich Your Garden: Fish frames can be great for soil enrichment! Compost or bury them to provide essential nutrients or turn them into a natural fish emulsion fertiliser for your plants.

Donate to Science: Support sustainable fishing by contributing to Fisheries Queensland’s Keen Angler Program, which collects fish skeletons to monitor key fish stocks. No experience is needed - just store your fish frames in the provided sampling kit and contact Fisheries Queensland for collection.

Why Responsible Disposal Matters
   • Keeps public areas clean and odour-free.
   • Reduces waste while promoting sustainability.
   • Supports research that helps manage fish populations.

To participate in the Keen Angler Program, email FisheriesMonitoring@daf.qld.gov.au to register. Target species include barramundi, coral trout, snapper, mackerel, and more. Data collected helps assess fish stock health and contributes to sustainable fishing practices.

By following these simple steps, we can all do our part to protect our waterways and support a healthier environment for future generations!

Tucked away in the heart of Queensland, the small village of Macknade became an inaccessible island when rising floodwaters submerged everything but a handful of homes. Surrounded by vast sugarcane fields and waterways, Kimberley Veltmeyer and her family found themselves stranded, clinging to hope and each other. With a mix of preparation, determination, and creativity, they endured, keeping spirits high through art lessons, home-schooling, and a tight-knit neighbourly community. In the face of nature’s fury, this family and their neighbours learned just how resilient they truly were.

Marooned In Macknade A Family In Isolation

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Outside Ingham, nestled between waterways and surrounded by fields of sugar cane is the tiny village of Macknade. It was here that a small family became trapped as the unsafe, murky waters rose, making their little street of six houses an archipelago and their own home an island.
Local teacher and mother, Kimberley Veltmeyer, and her family prepared for the floods as best they could when they were notified by colleagues of its impending arrival that first Friday, the 31st, after school.
“My husband Steven got the fuel, the wine and the cheese, and I got everything else... We quickly drove to Halifax and filled up our own sandbags and moved everything up higher, sacrificing our buffet, dining tables, piano, everything to put our belongings up even higher.”
She never expected the waters to rise as high as they did, and so Kimberley knew this would be a long isolation. With her daughter, Skylah, of school age and a teacher herself she kept everyone as busy as she could to stop the feeling of isolation and cabin fever from setting in.
They have done the best they can on what locals call ‘Macknade Island’. Bounded by the Herbert River on the south and east, the Seymour River on the west and the Hinchinbrook Channel to the north and with the John Rowe bridge condemned, they waited out the flood.
“We've been having art lessons, painting and drawing, building the perfect paper plane. Today we went over equivalent fractions and long division. We've reorganised every cupboard and we watch the dead animals and rubbish float past”
By day seven, they had read almost all their books and played every board game. They stayed positive and hopeful while their two adjacent families evacuated, sharing supplies with the neighbours who remained and checking in on each other by hollering out the windows, becoming firm flood buddies.
“When we call out we need a beer, the neighbours always have a six-pack. If anyone needs fuel, we siphon out the last bit of the mower and we crane our necks to see the blue in the sky. Seeing all the birds flying past, knowing there must be dry land somewhere, and developing keen eyes to see any crocs, snakes and toads.”
“With no power, intermittent internet and phones that only work every two days, and clean water that's only just come back on, this disaster, this hasn’t broken us. It's only made stronger.”
They continued to hope that it would be over soon as Ingham began its cleanup and repairs. They were grateful that their own little archipelago of neighbours was there for each other when not even the SES could make it to such rural properties like theirs.  

On the 8th day, they received emergency fuel supplies by helicopter. Kimberley says that as they watched the road marker’s water levels rise and fall, they’ll remember this disaster for a long time and were glad that they prepared as much as they did.

Monday 3 February
Hello Hinchinbrook,

What a crazy week we have had. I am in Forrest Beach and whilst I am safe there were a few homes with bad flooding, I am thinking of everyone in Ingham who had no choice but to leave their homes, I cannot begin to imagine what that must feel like.

This has been a week of firsts to me, my first natural disaster. Back in Adelaide our natural disasters are most likely bushfires, but they have never affected me. Now, my first month in Hinchinbrook and we have been hit by the worst flood in recent memory.

At Forrest Beach flooding is minor, despite a few homes close to the beach, on Fern Street, but after seeing the Queensland Ambulance Service video flying over Ingham it almost doesn’t feel real to me. At the beach we are isolated and unable to get into Ingham and it’s hard to believe what is happening is real.

In other firsts this week, on Monday 3rd February I went door knocking on Wattle Street and although everyone on the street were safe, a couple were deeply concerned for their parents/parents-in-law located on Fern Street.

The woman, Maria Boeyen, was deeply concerned for her parents, flooding had been getting higher and higher each day.

Monday morning it was chest deep, but her mother with Alzheimer’s and her father refused to leave. I reported back to the Disaster Management Group and it was made priority one. The Queensland Fire Service (QFS) located here in Forrest Beach left immediately, but although in the presence of safety professionals the couple on Fern Street continued to refuse. A small group of the Disaster Management Group and myself decided taking Maria to her parents place would convince them to leave and on arrival at the home, Maria’s parents accepted help almost immediately. Shortly after a QFS operator was wading through the water holding the family dog. After seeing this Maria was delighted and said, “If he’s giving up his dog, he's coming.”

While I am safe in Forrest Beach, limited phone reception and lack of power is making life dull, I continue to get in touch with my mum every morning who is deservedly worried. But it’s okay and I guess we just have to wait it out.

Wednesday 5 February
I was woken at 3:30 in the morning today with my fire alarm blaring, it shook me awake, I couldn’t imagine a worse wake up. I predict the humidity made it believe there was smoke.

In other news I managed to slowly get back into work today, I interviewed some neighbours and checked up on the family on Wattle Street to see how they were doing, and it was nice to feel more connected again.

Thursday 6 February
I think today was the hardest day so far, it hit me at how tedious this is, and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of being isolated, and stuck.

In brighter news, I managed to get into Ingham today, I visited the fire and rescue and Ingham power station. It was nice to get out of Forrest Beach. But I couldn’t have a normal day could I, my car battery decided to die.

Friday 7 February
With a flat battery in the car, I can no longer charge my phone in it but luckily for me the North Queensland community is an amazing one. The Forrest Beach Shops and Takeaway have been amazing during this week, allowing people to turn up and use their generators to charge devices.

I also got in contact with my colleague Sherie and her and her husband came to Forrest Beach for me with a solar panel to charge devices, and a mobile jump starter for the car.

Saturday 8 February
I made the mistake this morning of checking Ergon Energy’s Facebook page first thing, and I was frustrated to see that some places in Forrest Beach had received power but I was still without. Of course, I was thrilled for the rest of the Forrest Beach community, we had been isolated and without power for almost a week, so it was great everybody could enjoy some peace and quiet without those generators going!

Feeling sorry for myself I sat outside charging my phone with the solar power Sherie had given me, although I was feeling upset and sick of it, excitement was rising as I saw Ergon Energy trucks driving around completing checks. At 12:39 I heard a cheer from my neighbours, and power was back!

Monday 10 February
After a long week, I am starting to feel back to normal, I have a new battery on my car, a full tank of petrol and best of all - air con!

I understand that although it may be a while before things get back to normal, we can be proud of ourselves and should acknowledge how lucky we are to live in this region surrounded by the wonderful people.

This community is strong and with potential flood warnings continuing tonight, I believe we are resilient enough to make it through another one, but fingers crossed we don’t have to!

The flooding in the Hinchinbrook Shire has left thousands of homes and people without power, as Ergon Energy made the decision to turn off power on Sunday 2nd February.

At Ingham Substation on Thursday water had receding and Ergon energy were completing tasks, to gain an understanding for when power is likely to be turned back on.

Area Manager Herbert for Ergon Energy Katrina Lennon announced that they will turn it on as soon as possible.

“We are getting it on as soon as possible. It will be a staggered approach, because they're all set off different feeders, so not everyone's lights are all going to come on at once,” she said.

“We treat our most critical sites so we prioritize that to the critical infrastructure in town, so that we can get those main priorities re-energized sooner rather than later, so that will see a staggered approach happening as soon as this cell is working.”

Treasurer, Minister for Energy and Minister for Home Ownership David Janetzki MP understands what people in Ingham and surrounding areas are dealing with and mirrors Katrina Lennon’s expertise.

“We have over 100 Ergon staff around Ingham ready to help with any connection faults,” he said.

“This community has suffered so much over the last few days, and Ergon and the state government is throwing everything in support of them, while there may be a slim chance of re-energisation of the substation today, everything is being done and if it is re-energized, it will be one of the quickest ever to come back online.

“The people of Ingham have suffered, and the state government is throwing everything in support of it.

“Already, Ergon, this week, has put on reconnected 20,000 homes across North Queensland, and I pay tribute to their staff that are working around the clock to deliver for Queensland.”

Ingham Substation was re-energised on Thursday 6 February.

Minister for Communities, Amanda Camm MP was also present at the substation and said she is working hard to get power back to the community.

“My department is working very closely with Minister Leahy's department in the community recovery effort and while we are still in the midst of this disaster, everybody and all resources of the government are working very hard to reconnect power to this community,” Amanda Camm MP said.

Nick Dametto MP Member for Hinchinbrook said he thanks the Ergon Energy team and all their efforts to try and get the substation up and running as soon as possible.

“It's no secret, we've been going through hell right here for the last seven days,” he added.

“We're not out of it yet. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. Connecting supply chains is paramount right now, but also connecting your electrical network around the Hinchinbrook Shire so we can get power back into those homes, those businesses, so we can start to get on our feet, is our priority.”

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Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has been on the ground in Ingham and surrounding areas, tirelessly working to support the recovery of communities devastated by severe flooding.
In addition to serving snags to emergency services, David Crisafulli, MP, has been providing critical updates to the community and coordinating the deployment of support teams from the south to assist with recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
While he acknowledges the exceptional work of the SES, firefighters, and other dedicated organisations, David stresses that the path to recovery will be long and challenging.
“I said to Queenslanders, that we will be here and we will see this job through and to have Canberra rowing in that same direction will make all the difference because it's going to be a long, hard road,” David stated.
With the river receding but power still out, water systems disconnected, and roads cut off, David spoke of the immense difficulties faced by those in and around Ingham.
He praised the efforts of Ergon Energy for their outstanding work in restoring power to those who had been cut off:
“To the local Ergon staff as well as those across the state, you have done amazing work, truly amazing work. To see those homes connected in Townsville and Palm and Giru in a short period of time was amazing.”
David emphasised that he and his team have been working around the clock to ensure that the state government is doing everything possible to restore power, water, roads, food, housing, and infrastructure to affected communities.
Claiming “When we build back, we build better.”
Disaster assistance payments are being delivered, and David reiterated that his team is working closely with emergency services at every step of the recovery process.

“This is a team effort and we’re here until the job is done.”

David also reminisced about his childhood, reflecting on how the current floods are comparable to the devastating 1967 floods that Ingham experienced.
“Growing up in Ingham we would always talk about the 1967 floods - many locals believe this one could be worse.”
Lastly, regarding the reconnection of communities by road, David spoke about rebuilding the bridge at Ollera Creek, emphasising that it will be stronger and more resilient than ever, further strengthening the Bruce Highway.
He also revealed that they have secured Canberra's commitment to help fund the project.
David took a moment to thank the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for their vital role in opening a temporary bridge, ensuring that essential services could reach Ingham during this critical time.

Nick Dametto

No politician wants to face a local disaster in their region. However, Nick Dametto, the Member for Hinchinbrook Shire, has stepped up to support his community by diving into the heart of the crisis.

Nick explained the difficulties the region was encountering and shared his own personal experience of the tragedy:

“Personally, it's been a very busy couple of days here across the Hinchinbrook Shire.

“We've seen everything from the flood waters rising all the way through to them subsiding.

"We have gone from a scenario of trying to save people and get people out of their homes to now, being in a situation where it's switching over into what we call recovery mode.

“We're starting to see emergency services getting out there and doing the important work of getting the community back on track.  

“We have Ergon workers out there doing everything they can to restore power to the area.  

“What I've seen is a community working together in the hardest of times.”

Mr Dametto said that his most important job to date is connecting people with the right services to get them the help they need during this devastating time.

“I've been on the ground here since Monday afternoon, and we've been doing all sorts of things in conjunction with the local disaster management group SES and emergency services to try and make sure that we're getting food to people.

“We're getting fuel to people so they can refuel their generators, everything from organising and helping organise busses and personnel into the town as well as ferrying around.

“We've had the premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli. We've had a number of ministers. Dave Janetzki, energy minister, Amanda Camm, Minister for Communities, as well as Dan Purdy, our Police Minister, visit.  

“Being able to get around and show them exactly the devastation has been important, not only to tell the story of what's happened here, but to advocate for the federal and state funding that's necessary to get us back on track.

Nick explained how the community was coping with such a catastrophic event:

“In the community, you've got to understand, people have lost everything.

“People have lost everything that they've owned.  

“Many going without insurance because of the exacerbated price of insurance premiums across the north, insurance has become unattainable for many, and some have gone without, and now will go without because they have not got that backup and support morale.  

“People's patience has been tested through this event, and they have a right to feel worn out and tired from what's happened.  

“But what I have seen, and this was what makes me immensely proud, is the community spirit shining through.

“I've spoken at nauseum about emergency services and the ADF staff that have been helping out, but we've had community members that have just stood up.  

“They don't wear a badge; they don't have a job title in this they've just fed the community.

“Thank you to everyone across the Hinchinbrook Shire who's banded together to get through this together, people who have done the best in the most trying of circumstances.

“I'm just completely heartened to continue hearing those stories coming through as flood-affected areas become reconnected with the rest of us across the Hinchinbrook Shire.  

"I want to ensure that everyone who has contributed feels recognised and appreciated. We couldn't have done it without all of you, and I sincerely thank you for everything you've done."