Accident survivor couldn’t bear to look in the mirror

It was 1995 and Ellen Harper was out with a friend. They were having a coffee at Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. Ellen knows now she never should have driven home. On her way to Tallebudgera Valley the 18-year-old began to feel tired, so she wound down her window. Just under a kilometre from […]


Central Coast battered by storms

The Central Coast has been left reeling after once-in-a-decade storms battered the region over the past two days. Winds of up to 135 kilometres per hour were recorded, while flash flooding caused traffic chaos and damaged many homes. An estimated one-third of all homes and businesses on the Central Coast were left without power. About […]


Gas bottle explosion blamed for house fire

A gas bottle explosion is the possible cause of a fire that destroyed a house in Maryborough yesterday. The two-storey timber house was completely engulfed in flames by the time rural firefighters arrived at 11.30am. It is believed no one was home at Nangarin Rd house at Oakhurst, on the outskirts of Maryborough. A spokesperson […]


Lost boy winched to safety by chopper

A 15-year-old boy has an exciting story to tell after he was rescued by a helicopter from dense bushland on Fitzroy Island near Cairns yesterday. The boy went bushwalking with his carer and after reaching the lighthouse at the high point of the island, he left the track and became lost in bushland. Urgent calls […]


Choppers fight Brisbane fire

Two helicopters were brought into waterbomb a bushfire at Doolandella on Brisbane’s south on Tuesday afternoon. A Queensland Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson said four fire trucks worked closely with air operations to contain the blaze. She said although there was no threat, crews were working to protect a caravan and nearby homes. Backburning began […]


Valves to reduce flood risks

Flood prevention backflow valves to be rolled out across Brisbane over the next four years will have to be individually designed. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said this week the prevention devices would be implemented in 80 percent of the flood prone areas. The valves for each of the 39 outlets would all have different design. […]


Mayor refuses to rule out flood buy-back cuts

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has refused to rule out funding cuts to Brisbane’s flood buy-back scheme. Cr Quirk told today’s Brisbane City Council meeting his administration was committed to the scheme, but when asked whether funds would be cut he would not comment. “I’m not going to speculate what might or might not be in […]


Fire-fighters compete to improve skills

South-east Queensland’s fire-fighters are ablaze this weekend at the regional fire-fighters championships at Mount Tamborine showgrounds. Twenty-two teams are competing in 10 events to find a winning team that best displays the skills and drills of everyday fire-fighting. Events include ladder skills and working with hoses of small or large diameter. Winners of the regional […]


After the flood

Of course you must stay with us, I assured my suddenly homeless son. For as long as it takes to rebuild. Which could be weeks, I thought, looking at the muddied wreck that had been home for the family of four. We’d seized as many of their possessions as we could, splashing through the rapidly […]


Thousands gather to help fire victims’ families

Thousands of people gathered in Queen Street Mall on Friday night for a five-hour charity concert that raised more than $15,000 for the victims of the Slacks Creek house fire. Labeled the worst house fire in the state in a decade it claimed the lives of 11 people from the Tongan and Samoan community. Eight […]


Seven months on, kids still suffering flood anxiety

Queensland children could still be concerned about the floods seven months after the deluge that affected Brisbane, according to a leading child development expert. Queensland University of Technology early childhood Professor Susan Danby (pictured) said the January floods had increased the risk of anxiety in children. “The floods raised real issues of uncertainty and unpredictability […]


‘No funds’ to fix flood-damaged sports fields

A senior Brisbane councillor claims flood-damaged sporting facilities owned by the council have been refused funding from the national disaster relief fund. Brisbane Lifestyle committee chair Geraldine Knapp said yesterday the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) did not consider that sporting facilities were an “essential public asset”. The Council has estimated $10 million […]


Fires to burn around Brisbane

More than 400 hectares will be burnt off over 30 sites around Brisbane in coming months in an effort to prevent disaster in the bushfire season. Brisbane City Council says it has already done 16 burns of more than 200 hectares. The council plans to burn up to 417 hectares this year. The council’s hazard […]


Flood details on 60,000 homes released

Information was released today on how floods affected 60,000 homes across Brisbane. Sources of flooding, predicted flood levels, habitable floor levels and whether homes are located in a flood zone have been provided to the public. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the report was written in a way that would improve customer comprehension and understanding. […]


Council accused of inflating flood money request

Brisbane City Council has been accused of artificially inflating its funding request to the Federal Government. Council opposition leader Shayne Sutton slammed the Liberal National majority at today’s meeting, accusing them of waste of taxpayers’ money while siphoning funds from federal and state governments. “You’re artificially inflating the gap in order to hide your mishandling […]


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