Following the devasting floods in early March, Crane Industry Council of Australia member Lindores Mobile Cranes despatched Frannas and crew to help with the clean up.
Chantelle Lindores, managing director of Lindores Mobile Cranes takes up the story.
“The first lift was in Bundamba, a suburb of Ipswich which was absolutely decimated in the floods. I volunteered to help with our Frannas after a call out from the Ipswich Mud Army which helped mobilise hundreds of volunteers during the clean up process.
“The Frannas a 20t and 25t with Superlift were despatched to a property called High Tides, in Cornish Street, Bundamba. When they got to site, the crews said it was hard to comprehend the levels of devastation. The smell was revolting, there was debris everywhere, the place was an absolute mess.
“The owner had lost everything including his 4WD business which had been washed down to the back of his property. Before the flooding, they were told it wouldn’t be worse than the 2013 floods. They took everything out of the house for those floods having been totally devastated and losing everything in the 2011 floods. So they moved everything in 2013 in fear of being flooded but it didn’t get to the house. On the advice they were given, they thought they were OK this time and left everything in the house, absolutely everything,” said Chantelle.
The Frannas conducted a dual lift on a Panelfab site shed which had been washed up and was leaning against the house. The owners had been using the shed as a pottery barn and conducting pottery classes.
“It needed to be a dual lift because the site shed as completely sodden and unstable, and we had concerns it could shift during the lift and causing more damage to the house or to the shed itself. The owners had lost just about everything and the little they could retrieve was left outside the house to dry out and these possessions were stolen by looters over a few nights. After putting the shed back into place what you don’t see is the effort these people need to go to, to rebuild their lives. It is so, so sad,” said Chantelle.
Chantelle volunteered to help these people after a call out from the Ipswich Mud Army.
Hundreds of generous volunteers inundated flooded homes armed with cleaning supplies, brooms and shovels across Ipswich’s flood impacted suburbs.
Local Disaster Management Group Chair Mayor Teresa Harding welcomed the volunteers as clean-up efforts ramp up today, now that it is safe to do so.
“It is important volunteers keep safe during the recovery clean-up,” Mayor Harding said.
“It’s great to see spontaneous volunteering and community helping community wherever needed.
“I want to thank everyone who came together today to help us get the city back up on its feet.
“Ipswich people rally around each other and I am seeing it everywhere I go – the grit and resilience of the Ipswich community.
“My fellow Councillors and I am touched by the selflessness of our volunteers and responders on the ground, and the comfort they are spreading to those going through a truly traumatic experience.”
Local Resilience and Recovery Group Chair Councillor Kate Kunzelmann said volunteers gave the flood-impacted residents more than just clean floors.
“Our community wants to help, and when the volunteers entered homes today, they also gave people some hope and let them know they are not alone,” Cr Kunzelmann said.
“We ask anyone who wants to volunteer to take their own protective clothing and supplies and don’t park in front of rubbish piles, as our kerbside collection trucks continue picking up flood waste.”
Council is working with Volunteering Queensland in coordinating assistance for residents and businesses who have registered their need for help with council.
The second lift required a 20t Franna and dogman travelling to Goodna, which is another suburb of Ipswich, this time to lift a displaced container full of pallet racking.
Chantelle says the crew didn’t see the same levels of devastation as the Ipswich Mud Army had already tidied up.
“The Mud Army had already been through the area but there was nothing they do about the container, it was sitting in the dirt just like an elongated a diamond. It was amazing to see how simply containers can balance on their edges.
“The lift was a little complicated because the container was being held up by a star picket and access to the site was tight. We had to get the Franna under a car port which only allowed 20mm of tolerance. We had to work with a tree immediately situated to the right of the Franna and there was a mound of gravel immediately in front of the crane.
“But we were able to manage the lift and we got the container back into position safe and sound,” said Chantelle.