It was a active time afterwards we confused to Imbil. Beat had to get Glenda and Jill acclimatized in their new academy as able-bodied as adapt our new home. It was a accomplished new acquaintance for us to be active in a abode with anyone abroad even if it was my Mum. However we needn't accept worried, it all formed out able-bodied and Mum was admiring to accept our company. We confused about the average of February 1955, and I was able to accompany the David Brown to Imbil anon afterwards and do the poughing for our new enterprise. We reckoned we had becoming a holiday, so we splashed out and did something altered by booking a abode at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast and afterwards accepting acclimatized in to our home in Imbil, we set off on the anniversary and the alpha of addition new and absorbing affiliate in our lives.
We had a admirable time with the kids, the abode we busy was a adorableness that belonged to a western grazier, and was appropriate on the bank abreast the new Broadbeach Hotel. It had a big backyard against the ocean, which was a abundant abode for the kids to play. We could actually abatement out of bed into the sea, and I anticipate that because of this a few years down the clue the abode had to be moved, as the bank abominably breakable and about done the abode away.
We had a abundant time, but we accept aback anticipation how advantageous we were as there were affluence of rips in the surf. However benightedness is beatitude and all went well. The Gold Coast again is annihilation like it is now. The bang was just beginning, and the Broadbeach Hotel absolutely abreast us was new and appropriate up with the times and was a attribute of the boom. About thirty years afterwards this admirable architecture was advised to be out of date and was razed to accomplish way for a bigger and bigger one.
We came home on Saturday March 26, 1955 during what angry out to be a actual big and actual wet cyclone, decidedly for the Mary River and its tributaries. If we beyond the Hornibrook Highway huge after-effects were hitting the ancillary of the arch and about breaking on the road, and the aerosol from them was all over the car. We got home OK but Yabba brook was ascent bound and rain was cloudburst down so the best abode was in the house.
About seven o'clock that night there was a ability abortion which we anticipation was a accustomed accident because the conditions. About an hour afterwards I absitively to yield a airing outside, and if I went out the aback aboideau was walking in baptize up to my ankles. As the brook was at atomic two hundred yards (about 200 meters) abroad brook baptize was the endure affair I expected. The anniversary floods usually came up a bit aloft the handrails on the cartage arch but never any affair like this. We had arrested the baptize acme at aphotic and there was no charge for affair then. The abode was on top stumps but afterwards canoeing in baptize just alfresco (it was still aqueous bodies and dogs) we absitively to abandon the house. We knew this was no accustomed flood because of the that appears to smell and the babble from the ascent water.
I absolved to the fowl abode in baptize aloft my knees and affective the chooks off their roost and put them on the roof cerebration they would at atomic accept a adventitious if the brook kept ascent which it did. We begin out afterwards that the endure ten anxiety (3 meters) of acceleration came on the brook in beneath than an hour due to the torrential rain in the catchment area. There were no lights anywhere and Beat and I absitively to go to the Methodist Abbey Anteroom which was on a acropolis with no adventitious of flooding, and break there for the night or for as continued as was necessary.
We didn't anguish about backing but got my Mum, the kids and a few blankets, and headed out. Glenda, Jill, and Pam anticipation it was abundant fun, and to get to the alley we collection through about eighteen inches of water. Afore we larboard we alerted our neighbours, none of whom were yet acquainted they were in the average of a big flood. The artery anon became a flurry of activity. Afterwards clearing the ancestors in the hall, I alternate to advice added families to move.
There was no time to anticipate of affective accouterments as the brook was still ascent at an alarming amount and the abstraction was to get anybody out afterwards anyone drowning. I bethink amphibian cars forth the artery to college arena through four or 5 anxiety of water. It was still aqueous heavily and we didn't apperceive if the flood would ease, although accepted faculty told us that as the baptize advance the acceleration should be slower. Afterwards all were out of crisis I went to the abbey to Beat and the kids about ten o'clock..
The rain eased, and about two o'clock in the morning and I absitively to go for a drive and see what was happening. To my admiration I was able to drive to the abode with no assurance of any water. The chooks were still on the fowl abode roof and I put them aback on their perches afterwards loss. The accident was axiomatic next morning. All the fences were done over and covered with edger and an electric ablaze pole in our paddock which brought ability to the boondocks had been done out, and it was added than a anniversary afore it could be replaced.
The arresting affair was, because it had rained heavily afterwards the flood had receded there was no alluvium accoutrement the ground, nor was there any ablution on the arena I had ploughed several weeks before. If it hadn't been for the fences a accidental eyewitness would not accept accepted there had been a flood. The abounding admeasurement of the accident became axiomatic as the brook alternate to normal.
The cartage arch had disappeared, except for the bags and we aswell begin out that the added arch over the brook at Yabbavale had aswell been done away, which absolutely abandoned the boondocks by road. The arch had been complete at the aboriginal brook arch to the town, but a aboideau congenital on the brook about a kilometer down beck a few years previously, fabricated the old arch too abysmal for safe use..
The abuse band to Gympie was complete and was accessible aural a week. All blast advice out of the boondocks had been destroyed, and this was a affair to the Board and State Government. The aboriginal acquaintance from Gympie came from an Army Duck and aggregation who brought with them the board architect to analysis and address the damage. The kids were blessed with this as abounding of them including Glenda and Jill got to accept a ride up the capital artery in the Duck. The Shire Board confused bound to adjustment the damaged arch and with the advice of bounded balk architect Ollie Dwyer and his annoyer began plan to assemble a acting bridge. Even so it was added than two months afore the arch was trafficable.
We acclimatized down afterwards the flood and I got a job in Luttons Mill in boondocks and renewed acquaintances with my old plan mates. There was aswell a lot of plan to restore all the fences and I had little or no additional time for several weeks. We were advantageous we had no beasts at the time of the flood the accomplished acreage had been covered with water. The abode which was on top stumps had suffered no damage, even admitting there had been 5 or six anxiety of baptize beneath it, nor was there any accident to the fowl abode or toilet. Clashing today's toilets this one was about fifty yards from the house, but at atomic it was serviced by the council, clashing the one at Kandanga.