Recent Floods – our story By Chris Grieve

The recent floods have had a devastating effect on communities, families and individuals. 

My husband and I were amongst those affected and, for a while there, I felt as if we had been violated – like a home invasion.  

Our beautiful, peaceful, horse property at Conondale was smashed and, as I looked at the damage after the water receded, I thought ‘how on earth are we going to get this fixed?’.

The Mary River is one of our boundaries and we are near the headwaters of the Mary, so we get not only the rain that falls, but all the runoff from the Stanley River Ranges that encircle the Conondale Valley.

In 22 years we have never seen so much water in our paddocks.  We thought we were safe but in the end the river had the last say and just swept through to the point where we had to rescue horses from our “flood proof” paddock. 

The river swept everything in is path and the devastation and damage from fallen trees and debris made our place look like a war zone.  We didn’t lose any livestock thank goodness, but the damage was almost unbearable to look at.  And the height of the river!  At least 10 metres above its normal, quiet meandering flow.

To be honest I was traumatised and walked around in a daze, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead of us.  My husband and I are in our 70s and while we are fit, we are not young and I could see this work stretching on for the next couple of years.  Of course the fences have to go up first, but the debris was something else.

Then a miracle happened.  Our local church, Church on the Rise Maleny, heard of what happened to us and offered to bring some people down to help.  That was last Thursday.

We were amazed when 25 people showed up with chainsaws, whipper-snippers, rakes, shovels, clippers, gumboots, along with the women’s group from the church to make the morning teas and lunch for the team.

We were so blessed and the work they did in a day, would have taken my husband and I at least six months.

I thank our wonderful church community.  They have made me smile again.  I wrote a poem that honours them and the massive heart they have for people in need.

Thank you Pastor Rod Jobe and the Maleny Church on the Rise community.

A poem about the event …

Last Thursday

When people ask where is God? I can honestly say

I’ve seen Him and I know He’s real, He was at our farm, last Thursday

He turned up with a chainsaw, a shovel and a rake

To help clean up and return the joy, that Satan tried to take

 

He turned up with a whippersnapper, gumboots and a hat

A Polaris, quad bike, wheelbarrows and trailers – we didn’t expect all that

He turned up in the Women of Worth, whose very presence eased our pain

they supported the team, pruned and cleaned, the world feels right again

 

God came in the smiles and handshakes and hugs that said don’t worry, we’ll get this done

We’re here for you and we’ll help you through, your battle till it’s won

We know its personal, you feel under attack, nothing seems to be going right

You’ve been knocked down but we’ll help you up, we’re with you in this fight

 

God and His angels set to work and worked right through the day

Backs bent to the task of clearing, the flood debris away

It was a perfect day for working, blue sky and soft gentle breeze

My husband slashing fence lines and moving fallen trees

 

For each section cleared, it was symbolic, like a darkness lifting from our hearts

The flooding had left such a huge mess, we were overwhelmed by the task

God in His great love, sent our church community to help us refresh and renew

They volunteered to come and help and see what they could do

 

I don’t know why bad things happen, but out of it comes the good

God has His way of teaching us, in a way that’s understood

Life’s trials and tempests come to test us, sometimes it’s so hard to endure

When everything seems against us, but of one thing I am sure

 

No matter what we suffer, God will help us find a way

Like He did by sending the people from Church on the Rise, who came out to help last Thursday

Faith with works is a blessing, it’s what we Christians understand

I pray that God will bless them as they blessed us, with their hearts and hands.