Good deeds aplenty: Flood clean-up unites footy community

From the devastation, there comes hope.

As thousands of Queenslanders this week began cleaning up their homes and businesses following the 2022 floods, so too did a number of good Samaritans who emerged to help in whatever way they could.

Whether it was providing food, a broom or an extra pair of hands, the tales of good deeds are coming to light and it is no different within the rugby league community.

Here are just some of the stories coming in from our clubs this week.

Putting others first

The Karalee Tornadoes, in Ipswich, have been through this type of devastation before, after they were inundated during the 2011 floods.

When the waters started to rise again in February, they knew what they had to do, evacuating as much as they could from the clubhouse.

Then they had to sit and wait.

But for club president Amy Huckel, while it was heartbreaking to know the floodwaters were coming across their fields, she knew she had to put the community first.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone right now who are affected by this disaster,” Huckel posted on Facebook on February 28.

“We have no updates on the club except the water was close to the cross bar on the footy posts last night.

“We would like to prioritise you, our members and our community, who need help first when it is safe to do so… please let us know if you need help … our amazing Tornado Army will be there, as soon as we can.”

Huckel said it was an easy choice to put the community first after 35 families from their club lost their homes in the 2011 floods.

She said this time around the number of those affected is fortunately a lot smaller but the community is still taking care of each other.

“We are all family and this is what family does,” Huckel said.

“We help each other when needed.

“Getting everyone back on the field is very important but getting them back into their home is even more so.”

The Karalee Tornadoes community has been helping each other through the recovery but the clean-up is yet to start at the field as they await council approval.

They have however seen the damage – with floodwaters reaching the rooftops – and Huckel said they had lost everything from the canteen, clubhouse and equipment shed, with a shipping container full of equipment also lifted up by the current and pushed into bushland.

Huckel is hopeful clean up will kick off on March 5 and said the Tornadoes would love any helping hand or donation.

“It is heartbreaking,” Huckel said.

“But we are hopeful we will be able to at least get the kids back on the field in the coming weeks and rebuild from there.”

Mum to the rescue

On the first day of clean-up at Stanley River Rugby League Football Club in Woodford, the volunteers worked so hard that they forgot to eat.

As secretary, groundskeeper and under 8s coach Sammy-Jo Richardson finished up on that Monday night she realised just how hungry they were.

So, she went to the old faithful – she rung her mum.

Fay Rapmund did not hesitate in agreeing to bring her daughter and the club’s volunteers some food.

She went straight to her local IGA and stocked up, putting together eight containers worth of sandwiches, including chicken, ham and salad, egg, and cheese and vegemite for the kids.

“She did an entire array,” Richardson said.

“She thought of the kids as well. That’s not something I even thought of.”

Rapmund also supplied biscuits and chips after a kind stranger donated $20 to her in the middle of IGA.

While Rapmund’s actions were greatly appreciated by her daughter and all those at the club on Tuesday, to her it was nothing. Just a mum helping her daughter out.

“It was not a problem at all,” Rapmund said.

“I told her to ring me again if she needs me for anything down there.”

Bacon and egg truckie treats

Linda Saunders had been stuck on the Sunshine Coast for three days, with floodwaters, intense rainfall and road closures making a return home to Banora Point – in northern New South Wales – almost impossible.

But when she finally made it through on Sunday, February 27, she instantly noticed what was happening on the main highway below her house.

Saunders – Queensland Rugby League’s Gold Coast league and club coordinator – saw a convoy of trucks trapped and unable to move.

The next day they were still there.

When Saunders’ husband rang her to say he couldn’t get to work on the Monday morning and he was going to stop at Coles on the way home, she sprung into action.

“We sat on the highway for seven hours the day before trying to get home,” Saunders said.

“It’s not a nice experience and they would have been alone in their trucks.

“When my husband rang I just said, ‘grab a heap of bacon and eggs and loaves of bread'. 

“He knows what I’m like and was just like, ‘oh, what are you up to now?’

“He also grabbed a bunch of water bottles and we had a big cook up. My daughter got up and helped… we loaded it all into an esky and put the waters in a backpack and headed down.”

Between them, they made 30 bacon and egg sandwiches and packed up 50 bottles of water.

Saunders set her sights on the truck at the very front of the long line and still hasn’t forgotten the shock on the driver's face.

“We walked up to the cabin and asked if he wanted a sandwich,” Saunders said.

“He was just like, ‘are you kidding?’. It was like he hadn’t seen people in days. He was so grateful. He tried to give us $50 but we were just trying to help.

“We worked our way back down the line and some were really, really grateful and others had food and told us to feed the others.

“It was tough for them. They’re in those big trucks… it’s not easy to just turn around or go wherever you want to go.”

Saunders said there were several people on the highway with similar ideas, including an elderly lady on a motorised scooter who was handing out bottles of water and a young man pulling a beach cart packed with water and packets of chips.

Community clean-up

Brothers St Brendan’s Junior Rugby League at Rocklea were quick to announce a working bee for Saturday, March 5.

The clubhouse and field had been inundated with floodwaters and they knew exactly what had to be done to get back on their feet.

But the working bee isn’t just for them, but for their entire community.

Taking to Facebook, the club put out the call for help and made it clear it would be all hands on deck for the whole street.

“To our Saints family and extended community, we need you this weekend,” they wrote on their Facebook page on Monday, February 28.

“As a result of the Brisbane floods our beloved clubhouse, fields and surrounding community has unfortunately gone under.

“There’s no doubt there will be some damage and we will need all hands on deck to get our club back in shape for the season start.

“While we are upset that our club has been inundated again, our neighbours’ homes have been devastated, many losing everything… this is more heartbreaking to us.

“We will use our club as a base point and help organise volunteers to help our neighbours.”

The working bee will start at 8am and they have asked people to bring shovels, rakes, brooms and more, with a sausage sizzle and refreshments to be provided.