CABSDA'S FLOOD RELIEF BLOG
June 12 - Our ADRA Leaders Bronwyn Bain is recognised for her efforts and awarded a QLD Flood Hero Medal by Premier Anna Bligh at a ceremony attended by over 2000 people at the Suncorp Piazza. Congratulations Bron on a great effort! You made an enormous difference!
Feb-April - Ongoing Donations Continue as supplies are received
Monday 14th February - Wyatt Roy, Federal MP for Longman recognises the Caboolture SDA Church for their contribution to the Flood Relief effort during his condolence motion at Parliament. Click below to watch (about minute 4:00). Presently 2 more containers are now full and ready for dispatch to deserving locations.
Sunday 23rd Jan - The DONORS and WISH LIST facebook page has been set up to help with larger items like Whitegoods, beds, furniture etc. Visit the page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_120756857997194&ap=1.
Saturday 22nd Jan 1pm - A truck bound for Ipswich police families who had lost everything was dispatched. Our thanks to Tom Curran of Curran transport for looking after this in what turned out to be this truck's maiden voyage!
Saturday 7:30am - The CABSDA Youth Group turned out in force to load 2 Trucks bound for Toogoolawah. Thanks again to the guys at Bidvest for doing such an awesome job! Breakfast followed and we were glad to have Wyatt Roy stop in to share some time with our youth group. Thanks Wyatt.
Wednesday - Friday - Many families have been coming through the centre to receive help and goods. Several volunteers have been helping with the delieveries to Caboolture homes.
Below are some pictures of our youth who served in Fig Tree Pocket last weekend. They helped this family who had lost everything as their house was completely submerged in the waters. Even so, as they were helping out, the lady of the family offered the team $50 to one of our team leaders. He said "What do you want me to do with this?" She said "Give it to a flood victim." He said "Alright, I will" - and gave it back to her! The generosity of some people is amazing!
Tuesday 18th Jan - Our fearless ADRA leader! Bronwyn Bain
Tuesday 18th Jan - 12noon Needy families that we met on our road trips yesterday around Caboolture are starting to come through the centre for help. It's profound what people have lost. Our team found rows of homes that experienced flooding. The water reached to head height in some cases. One family, staying with relatives at the time had all of their possessions in storage - you guessed it - the storage was flooded and they lost it all.
This lady is indicating the water level in her home during the peak.
Their possessions are now waterlogged and mostly ruined - in the back year in skip bins waiting to be dumped.
Our tireless volunteers are also looking a bit tired today but they are soldiering on, grateful to be making a difference. Thank you to those who have been feeding and watering our volunteers from time to time. This is always appreciated!
Demands from our SES team out west are calling for what everything can send them. The centre will be open to Caboolture flood victims until Friday 2pm, afterwhich remaining items will be sent out to Western areas first thing Saturday morning.
Monday 17th Jan - 4pm Wyatt Roy pays a visit then joins our street team to let Caboolture residents affected by the floods that they can come to the centre to receive help from tomorrow Tuesday.
Wyatt Roy stands with Bronwyn Bain from CABSDA's disaster & relief team.
The hall this afternoon, ready to serve flooded families.
Monday 17th Jan - 2:30pm Friends of the Street top men Phil McLean and Charles Benson have been helping out at CABSDA this week too. In this picture they have loaded their van to hit the streets with food assistance for those in Caboolture who were flooded.
Monday 17th Jan - Our teams on the road are sending back pictures from their trips to distribute supplies out West. Some of these will be posted today. There are so many heart-warming stories coming in now too of communities overcoming the odds together. Our hall is full so we are now asking for people to donate money to the Premier's Flood appeal at any major bank or at Wyatt Roy's offices. An army of volunteers continues to sort the items received so far. The SDA church throughout South East QLD is now coordinating efforts to receive and pass on items to affected families. Wyatt Roy will be visiting us at 3pm this afternoon - we have had reports of up to 70 people needing goods from our centre. Thank you Caboolture for your generosity.
The team saw devastation throughout all of the river systems on their way out west.
The convoy prepares to unload supplies at Toogoolawah before continuing on to Gatton.
Unpacking supplies at Toogoolawah - including food and hygiene items, toys and clothes.
Sunday 16th Jan - By 9am a convoy of about 8 cars and a truck was leaving Woodford bound for Toogoolawah! Thanks Bronwyn Bain from CABSDA's disaster & relief team for your dedication to making this happen. It's been great working with the Caboolture Friends of the Street (Phil and Charles) as well - these guys have such a dedication to helping people in need. One day later and the hall has almost filled up again! We are just waiting to hear news of where our next loads are most needed. Stunned by the steady stream of donors pouring coming up the driveway all day long. We have been in contact with centres from Stanthorpe through to the Lockyer valley, Toowoomba and generally speaking everyone is currently well supplied - this is great news and a testament to the generosity of thousands of people throughout Queensland. Our tireless volunteers have knocked off for the day. Caboolture you can sleep well knowing that you have given from the heart and you have met the urgent needs to date. Well done. CABSDA sent further teams into Bris today to assist with the big cleanup and Accomodation reallocations.
An army of Volunteers from CABSDA and the Cabolture community sort and collate donated goods.
Saturday 15th Jan - Most of the goods were offloaded at Woodford Memorial hall where Mick Watson and daughter Michelle have been working with Councillor Adrian Raedell to organised both an Evac and Distribution centre, and are now busy getting food and supplies to families west of Woodford. Many of these families were still cut off by waters, and supplies were being sent over the rivers via flying fox! Talk about a great Aussie spirit! Another team drove hygeine supplies out to Toogoolawah and discovered that this township was in desperate need of food. Arrangements being made to get food from Woodford to Toogoolawah. CABSDA also sent 2 teams comprising about 30 youth and leaders into the big cleanup in Brisbane, and another team to Toowong to assist ADRA with Accommodation reallocations. Today 250 church members met for a special service to pray for those affected by floods as well as for all of the volunteers working across the country. The church's Development and Disaster Relif Agency (ADRA) has donated $50,000 to the Premier's flood Appeal. Today at the prayer service a collection was taken up, raising $2700.
More than 60 volunteers (from CABSDA, Southpine, Northpine and Redcliffe Adventist Churches) loaded the Bidvest Trucks and many utes and trailers bound for Woodford Memorial Hall.
Some of the team stands with Councillor Adrian Raedell who was delighted that supplies had arrived for the many people West of Woodford in need of supplies.
This photo shows the team in Woodford having fully unloaded. Michelle is wearing the high-vis vest in the foreground. Beside her is Councillor Adrian Raedell.
Friday 14th Jan - We have been moved by the generosity of Caboolture city - so many have given, so many have volunteered time to sort and collate, people have offered transport and so much more. We were touched by a little girl who brought her large toy pony for another child who would need it, and with tears in her eyes left it with us, insisting that while she would miss it terribly, knew that there were other children who had lost everything. We also spoke with a mother whose boys had decided to spend their pocket money on those who needed it most. Mum called to find out what we needed before taking her boys out to buy supplies.
Our hall filled in just 7 hours, and arrangements have been made to ship everything we have to Woodford, Kilcoy tomorrow Saturday 15th. Bidvest have donated 2 PanTec trucks, and volunteers from the church will fill these trucks and several utes and trailers which will be sent north and west.
