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The Hon. HENRY TSANG: Can the Minister for Emergency Services advise the House of the State Emergency Service's work to help the Hunter Valley remember the lessons of the 1955 floods?
The Hon. TONY KELLY: On the weekend I joined the State Emergency Service in commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the 1955 flood, which caused much devastation in the Hunter Valley, particularly in Maitland and Singleton. I am aware that it affected other parts of the State as well, but the flood was particularly bad in Maitland and Singleton. The weekend theme was "Remember, Commemorate, Prepare". It highlighted the need to learn from the past and for the community to be well educated about flood safety and how best to prepare and protect themselves and their property should the worst ever happen again. I am sure that my colleague the Minister for the Hunter will attest that these were catastrophic floods, causing some $2 billion worth of damage and claiming the lives of 17 people in the Hunter.
Maitland was the hardest hit, with about 15,000 people evacuated and more than 5,000 homes flooded, including 130 that were destroyed or left uninhabitable. Fourteen people died in the city. In Singleton another three people died and about 1,600 homes—up to 95 per cent of Singleton—were affected. The 1955 floods were the first well-documented disasters in Australian history, with graphic newsreel footage of the swirling floodwaters, the damage and misery vividly bringing the floods to the attention of the nation. I am sure most of us are familiar with the newsreel footage that was later used in the iconic Australian movie Newsfront. With the floods still in living memory for so many people in the Hunter, the weekend's commemorative displays and activities were well attended. Looking around the area I saw that it was a testament to the resilience of the community that Maitland and the surrounding area not only recovered but went on to prosper. If there was a positive to come out of the disaster it was that the floods led to the formation of the State Emergency Service, which is commemorating its fiftieth anniversary this year.
Without an organised emergency service in place to take control and offer assistance, flooded residents came to each other's aid, with help also from the army, the Royal Australian Air Force and local miners from the Cessnock coalfields. In fact I met Jim Commerford, who at 91 attended the functions the other day. During the flood he organised miners from the Cessnock area to help rescue people. The Government of the day—and I must advise that the Premier of that Government was Joe Cahill, and its Treasurer was Jack Renshaw, who was born in Wellington—recognised the need for a body of trained volunteers with good local knowledge to be available at short notice to help the community in such disasters. That was the genesis of the State Emergency Service. Since then volunteers in their orange overalls have become the recognised and respected face of the State Emergency Service. Their community spirit, commitment and hard work in the most trying circumstances are constantly inspiring. The SES also is now a leader in planning, education and preparation for floods in this State. Its work has delivered great benefits for many communities, including in the Hunter. Of course, over the intervening 50 years extensive flood mitigation works have taken place to help protect the community.
The Hunter SES also devotes a great deal of energy to educating people about flood safety, how to prepare, and how to protect themselves and their homes. The SES in Maitland and Singleton produced a series of FloodSafe guides providing specific information on flooding conditions and helpful safety advice. I congratulate everybody who worked hard at last weekend's events to put together the flood anniversary display at Singleton, a large flood safety information and memorabilia display involving many local agencies at Maitland, and the flood boat training day at Morpeth. In addition to remembering those who lost their lives, those events were a fitting recognition of the people who worked so selflessly to rescue others.
The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA: If honourable members have any further questions, I suggest they place them on notice.