The clean-up is underway after last week’s storms, with businesses and householders counting the costs from the flooding and high winds that lashed the Tweed Coast and hinterland.
Last week’s storm caused an estimated $1.2 million worth of damage to Council and community assets, including roads and parks across the Tweed.
However, while there are plenty of stories of loss and damage, events like this also seem to bring out the good in people, with mates helping mates, neighbours working together and organisations pitching in.
Gold Coast-based AFL Club the Gold Coast Suns were among those to roll up their sleeves and head down to the Tweed to help with the clean-up.
Players joined staff from throughout the organisation to pitch in and help Tweed Shire Council workers with the mammoth task of cleaning up across the Tweed.
According to Suns Community, Marketing and Fan Development manager Kelly Ryan, once the call went out, as they were hoping, staff responded quickly.
“We put the call out to the staff and we were inundated with volunteers,” she said.
“There were four players and 15 staff from everywhere, from administration to membership, to the community department. It was pretty easy to rally together. After 2011 (Brisbane floods), we got on a bus and headed to Ipswich to help.”
This time the club rolled into Chinderah, working for a couple of hours on Friday afternoon to help clear several truckloads of debris from the brand new park and picnic area at Jenners Corner.
Ms Ryan said the Tweed had been good supporters of the AFL club, with a lot of members and supporters coming from the region to support the club, which is going into its third season in the country’s premiere Australian Rules competition.
“We thought this was one of the most heavily impacted areas and we wanted to come to help,” she said. A phone call to the Tweed Shire Council on Thursday got the ball rolling and, just a day later, armed with rakes and rubber gloves, the Suns crew made a colourful sight in their bright red and gold shirts as they scooped up the debris deposited by the flooded Tweed River.
“This is a brand new park,” Ms Ryan said.
“People love it and have been using it a lot. We are hoping to get it back to the way it was, so the public can use it again.”
The Suns start their 2013 AFL campaign on March 30 on the Gold Coast against St Kilda.
