Mary Creighton has lived on the corner of Poinciana and Prince Streets in Mullumbimby for the last 80 years and their allotment ‘had never flooded’.
That is, until the February 2022 floods that devastated the town of Mullumbimby.
Married at 17 she and her husband Col built their house on the allotment where she grew up with her parents from the age of six.
While there have been innumerable floods during her life ‘it never flooded the house. It would come up around the mail box but that was all you’d see,’ she said.
The 2022 flood was different.
‘My daughter called me and told me to look out the window. I said, “this is wrong”. I’m like, what is going on, we don’t get water up here. There has never been water at the steps of the house. Something has gone wrong.’
When they were rescued they had to wade through water that was midway up Mary’s chest.
The water went into the house and garage leaving behind a mess of mud and destroying the fridge, couches, carpets etc.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have flood cover as a part of their insurance as they’d been told they didn’t need it because it never flooded where they were. But while the effects of the flood were devastating it was the local community who came to their rescue.
‘We got paid back,’ said Mary with a smile.
All the kids and members of the community that they have helped over the years were there for them and worked for free to help get Mary and Col back on their feet.
‘It was worthwhile looking after all those people for all those years. Everyone came here straight away and helped.’
Clean up was done, floors were laid ‘I said “no” to putting carpet back in,’ she said after seeing the mess the flood left behind. ‘They all got together and sorted it out. All the locals came and got us back into the house.’
Blue Box project
Mary and Col’s story is just one of the many stories being recorded as part of the the Blue Box project that is collating people’s flood stories into a book to be held at the Mullumbimby Museum.
Write down your stories and experiences of the 2022 floods and post them in the blue boxes at various shops around town or email them to: [email protected].
Then join the free community picnic that will bring the community together in Mullumbimby’s main street on Saturday May 6, between 4 and 8pm. Traffic will be diverted for the event.
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