Condolence Motion

Mr DOWLING (Redlands—LNP) (3.22 pm): I rise to speak to the motion of condolence to Queensland’s natural disaster victims moved by the Premier and offer my wholehearted sympathies to families suffering loss. Queensland has witnessed flood and cyclone events that are hard to imagine.

 Those events had the ability to bend us to their will but not to break us, nor will they break the Queensland spirit. We have heard many examples of courage, bravery, dedication, commitment and generosity unequalled in our history. The events of late 2010 and early 2011 will continue to reshape Queensland. Queenslanders’ will not be daunted or put off their resolve to rebuild their part of Queensland stronger and better than it was. The strength of Queenslanders is drawn from our common love of our state and of our fellow Queenslander, and a belief in our own ability and our own capability.

Strength comes in many forms. However, it begins when people stand up to be counted. As the events unfolded around the state, people from my electorate began calling and asking, ‘How can I help?’ Just like the rain, the calls kept coming from more and more volunteers. Redlanders were not affected by the floods, but we were very affected by the images on our TVs of the events of December and January. I want to pay special tribute to a few volunteers who worked tirelessly to help affected communities: Suzie Masters, Stephanie Pearce and Terri Davidson. Suzie Masters is a resident of Victoria Point. She called me one afternoon with a plan. She was most insistent that I make time to see her and I did. We met that night and she said that she needed my help to make her plan a reality.

She needed me to open doors for her. On the evening we met, she explained her plan and within 12 hours we had a distribution centre, we had a Facebook page, we had 20 to 30 volunteers all ready to go and God knows how much aid ready to be distributed. I will come back to that detail later in my address.

Suzie had a catchphrase. Whenever and wherever we needed people or supplies, she would say, ‘Ask and they will come; ask and it will come.’ How right she was. Suzie was shadowed by her two young adult children, Katie and Nicholas, who are both students at Victoria Point State High School. A little later I will talk more about the youth of the Redlands.

Stephanie Pearce is involved in the school communities of Victoria Point State High School and Redland Bay State School. She joined our team pretty much from day one. She worked with a team of volunteers, working on logistics, communication and administration. If anything needed doing and you gave it to Stephanie, you could guarantee that it would be done. She worked tirelessly with hundreds of perfect strangers—a new batch of strangers every day. And all I can say is, ‘Thank you, Stephanie, for your contribution.’ Terri Davidson is a nurse. The prerequisites for nursing are caring and responsibility.

 Terri stepped up to the plate and was largely responsible for managing the receiving and sorting of goods, repacking, loading. You name it, if had to do with logistics Terri would be there to ensure it happened and happened safely. Those three ladies brought professionalism, good humour and energy to this vibrant team.

 Suzie had not only an idea or the seed of an idea. She had seen an empty warehouse with a ‘For lease’ sign in the window. By 10 pm, after that first evening meeting, we had the keys to a warehouse provided by local businessman Brian Oldfield, dealer principal from Oldfield Holden in Capalaba. I take this opportunity to thank him for his generosity. Not only did he provide the warehouse but he also ensured that the power was turned on, he organised for litter to be picked up and the rubbish bins to be emptied through J.J.Richards on an almost daily basis, and he made a generous personal donation.

 I acknowledge the support of my neighbouring electorates of Capalaba and Cleveland. Both honourable members, Michael Choi and Mark Robinson, put their shoulders to the wheel. We worked as a team. Alone we could have been effective and we were effective. I know we each did our own individual things. However, together, with the help of thousands of Redlanders and thousands of volunteers, we were able to make a most amazing contribution. Redland City was unscathed, but we were not untouched and we were not unmoved. A network of volunteers came together through service communities, scouts, guides, Lions, Apex, Rotary, lifesaving clubs; charities such as St Vinnies, Lifeline, Global Care and so many others; businesses such as Oldfield Holden, RSVP Party Hire, Bunnings, Officeworks and many other businesses. They were all there from day one to help us out. Their generosity made the entire thing possible.

By far the most indelible image of the Queensland community flood relief was seeing hundreds of young people come forward. So often young people are criticised, as outlined by the Leader of the Opposition, John-Paul Langbroek, in his contribution to the condolence motion. The young people, who are so often criticised, were amazing. Through sites such as Facebook, young people have a network that you would not believe. They showed leadership, they showed commitment and they showed maturity beyond their years. I mention three in particular: Rocky, Michael and Claire. Last year they were school leaders at Victoria Point State High School and Sheldon College in my community.

 There were also students from pretty much every school in the Redlands as well as students from schools in the Capalaba and Cleveland electorates. There were teachers from schools in my electorate and those adjoining it. The Facebook page—the social networking—was updated hourly. This actually demonstrated what a powerful tool social media is and it was used in a very positive way. That network brought in those young people in their droves and for that I am eternally grateful. The Facebook page being updated so often brought us not only the volunteers we needed but also the much needed goods.

 I also acknowledge the efforts of our federal member Andrew Laming, the member for Bowman, and his support and involvement in the process. The community of Redlands dispatched goods to affected communities across the state including suburbs in and around Brisbane. I remember going out with the member for Moggill and having a look through the areas of Kenmore and some of those suburbs in his electorate. We pulled up to talk to a group of volunteers with shovels, wheelbarrows and what have you. You could tell they had done a hard day’s work. I wound down the window and I said, ‘G’day.’ One of them said, ‘You’re Peter.’ I said, ‘Yeah, how do you know that?’ He said, ‘We’re all from Redlands.’ There was one from Capalaba, a couple from Thornlands, one from Mount Cotton, one from Redland Bay and one from Victoria Point. That demonstrates the depth of support that came from not only the Redlands but also those other communities that were not affected.

 The member for Capalaba, Michael Choi, and I led a convoy of vehicles out to Ipswich. Again, that was so well received and so well appreciated by Councillor Paul Pisasale, Mayor of Ipswich. I acknowledge his contribution on behalf of his people. We helped townships in the Lockyer Valley, Maryborough, across the range into the Darling Downs and beyond. We dispatched food, clothing, furniture, medicines, cleaning goods, utensils, insecticides, batteries, shoes, personal hygiene products, et cetera—you name it. The generosity shown was touching and it touched the hearts of recipients. They realised that they were not alone.

The Rotary Club in our area got together and held a monster garage sale to raise much needed money. Help from Redlands and our community came in many forms. The warehouse we used was filled and emptied many, many times and I thank not only those who volunteered to pack and distribute its contents but also those who contributed items.

I have travelled to numerous communities and heard firsthand their stories—stories that tell of hurt, suffering and loss. It brought home to me the importance of counselling. I acknowledge the work done so far and the work that lies ahead for the church and welfare organisations to counsel Queensland families, to help them come to terms with their loss and to rebuild the Queensland spirit. The power of conversation and an embrace cannot be underestimated.

 I applaud the many formal and informal supporters working on the ground in those affected communities. If there is one word that springs to mind when wanting to describe Queenslanders, it is resolve. I also add my thanks to the many community leaders who stepped up for their communities: members of this House, federal members, councillors, police, emergency services, Emergency Management Queensland, SES, church leaders and our military. Their dedication is to be commended.

The Queensland spirit—the ‘don’t let a mate down’, the ‘help your neighbour’—is typified by the man on the land. Farms have been decimated and yet they provide our food and our clothing. I met with a number of people in the community out at Cecil Plains and I would like to acknowledge Jan and Meagan who hosted a meeting on their farm, which was quite badly damaged. They invited transport operators from their community, grain growers, suppliers and businesspeople. They were all affected but they wanted to talk about the issues they were facing. I was pleased to be there. I thank the member for Condamine for facilitating that. On my travels I met an American couple who had never seen anything like this—this human army willing to help out. They tell me that traditionally Americans are spectators and critics, but guess what?

They, too, became volunteers. They, too, had caught the Queensland spirit. It is infectious. I met rail workers from Gladstone who pretty much adopted Theodore. I acknowledge that the member for Callide mentioned them in his address. I joined them at a town barbecue with EMQ, the police, SES, councillors and residents. It was a giant thankyou barbecue in the town.

I also acknowledge the office staff—the EOs and the AEOs—of the state members who, in large measure, carried some of the day-to-day routine in the office. I thank them for their backing on our behalf. Travelling primarily by road you see the magnitude of the destruction and the magnitude of the job that is waiting for us to step up to. Road, rail, infrastructure, irrigation, mining—they are all industries and assets that have been decimated.

 We have heard much about leadership and we tested our authorities. We tested our police, we tested our emergency services, we tested the SES, we tested the local and regional disaster management groups and they all passed their tests with flying colours. For that our communities will be eternally grateful. The test for us, however, will be ongoing. The tragic circumstances will not be forgotten. The loss of lives will not be forgotten, nor should they. The generosity of Queenslanders will not be forgotten. The Queensland spirit will not be forgotten, nor will it be extinguished. We weep for those gone. We pray for those missing. We help those suffering and we hope for the future.