22 January 2009

What do we know about the Yamba Drive flooding deaths

| johnboy
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On the discussion about Deakin flooding commenters have raised an incident in 1971 when apparently flooding on Yamba Drive killed seven (?) people.

Seven is a lot of people, it’s nearly twice as many as the 2003 fires.

I’m curious if local historians know more about this, and why there isn’t a prominent memorial?

UPDATED: If you’re so inclined there’s now a Facebook Group to join calling for the erection of a memorial.

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I have just found this page and reading it makes me very sad. I lost my best friend that day, Margaret Smith, and her older sister, Carmel a younger brother, Michael.

I am now 64, married with three grown up children and live in Melbourne. I went to the cemetry last year and paid my respects. A very sad day indeed.

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and concern to maintain a memorial.

If anyone out there wants to contact me, my email is helenannburke8@hotmail.com
I was Helen Webster of Narrabundah.

Resurrecting an old thread to say that there is now a brand new memorial to the flooding deaths just off the western edge of the cyclepath near Curtin. A link to a google map should (hopefully) be here. It’s more or less in the middle of the map.

The memorial itself is a huge slim slab of stone, like an obelisk, with the names of the seven victims engraved. There’s also a small information board with a short description of the event. And a bench. It’s a very quiet, reflective little area despite the close proximity of Yarra Glen. Worth a visit if you’re out that way.

I am the sister of one of the flood victims, there was a meeting between Jon Stanhope’s representatives and my family friday 4th Dec. We had been led to believe an information plaque would be included with the memorial and had worked hard to sort out wording and include historical facts only to be told at the meeting there would be no information signage due to cost. We offered to pay for it and were then told it was a matter of liability! None of us has any interest in compensation we just want the truth acknowleged. I am appalled by the late notice and feel it is a deliberate attempt to shut us down. I have only just discovered this site, didnt realise there was other interest and would love to get community support to ensure the right thing is done.

So, uhh, its almost been a year and no action.

Someone in RA readership directed an older gentleman from teh South Coast in my direction in January.
Since then, I have lost his details, but he had suggested he had everything under control and would ask me if he required assistance.

I was wondering if anyone out there in the big bad RA readership knows the gentleman to whom I refer, and if so, can he please contact me on chefboy@tpgi.com.au

Almost a year and no action – I am considering a guerrilla style install.

Danman said :

Just done a quick archival search and found these 2 reports – Sorry for length of post.

Ill do an extended search later to see if I can source the original 1971 articles.

The Day Killer Floods Hit Woden
19 November 2000
Canberra Times

Seven people drowned as creek ran wild

Thirty years ago, seven people died in the worst drowning tragedy in Canberra’s history. Four children were among the victims. The drownings did not take place in a river, lake or dam.

This drama played itself out in the Woden Valley, centred on the roundabout where Yamba and Melrose drives and Yarra Glen intersect. It was early evening on Australia Day, 1971, when a threatening storm finally broke. The Yarralumla Creek and storm drains were incapable of carrying the mass of water away and soon a boiling, brackish lake of swirling, angry black water began to lap the roads.

A series of tragedies and heroic acts took place that night in some of the most desperate and treacherous conditions imaginable. Before the night was over, 62 cars had been washed away and Canberra was in mourning. Six months later, a 23-year-old police officer was awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry.

He is the only Australian police officer to win the award. Four others received the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct. Since that night, the young constable has remained silent about his personal ordeal.

He has kept bottled up inside his sense of failure for not being able to help the seven victims. His name is Jeff Brown, and this is his story. Now a sergeant, and currently acting superintendent in ACT Police Communications, Sgt Brown said his life had been a preparation for such a night.

He had grown up in Wagga Wagga where he was a member of the local life saving club on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. He had always loved the river, often floating down it for miles just for the joy of it. ‘I was fit, I was ready for it,’ he said.

He joined the ACT Police in February, 1969, and he was on duty on Australia Day, 1971. It had been raining for a week and Canberra was saturated. ‘It was early evening and you could see the storm coming in’.

He was a passenger in the police accident van, going along Belconnen Way when the rain began falling. The driver was Constable Mick Lucas. There was a cloud burst and a radio call came in that a roundabout was flooded at Woden.

The rain was so heavy the roads were almost impassable. The conditions lowered the van’s top speed to 15km/h. They took what seemed like an eternity to get there.

They drove through Curtin to see a kilometre-wide lake where Yarra Glen used to be, stretching off into the darkness. ‘I just couldn’t believe it, in Canberra,’ Sgt Brown said. Power had failed already.

So he set up the generator and a spotlight as the last of the daylight vanished. The two young policemen threw off their shoes and shirts. He stepped over a power line and it sizzled and sparked.

What the spotlight showed gave him a jolt. The water was surging along and people were in the water, some clinging to light poles, safety rails and street signs. ‘It was the darkest night I had ever seen.

All you saw were beams of light. It was a fast-moving lake.’ They grabbed a rope from the van and rushed into the water, past about 40 people standing at the edge.

They persuaded them to form a human chain in the shallows and began dragging people from the surging water. Lucas took control near the edge and Brown floated out, holding on to the rope. ‘I went right out, the water was over my head.’

He was swimming against the current. ‘You just got whoever you could get and you would pass them on.’ Others were in the water, which kept rising and was eddying and boiling around him.

He could not hear anything above the roar of the water, wind and rain. One man was plucked from a lamp post. They got people any way they could.

There was no plan or order. Soon, the current was too strong to hold him. He was torn off the rope and swung out into the current.

Brown tried swimming back to shore. But by now he had been in cold water for 20 minutes and he began to feel exhausted. He tried harder.

Soon, he realised he was helpless. ‘I knew now it was life or death.’ Then he heard a girl call out for help and he knew she had to be close.

He had stopped swimming to see where she was. To his horror he saw a man nearby go under the water. A car floated by with its headlights on.

Brown had no idea if there was anyone inside. He looked back to the shore, now 100 metres away. He shouted out and tried to find the girl who had called for help.

Now he was alone in the blackness and struggling for his own life. He was dragged under and held his breath as long as he could. He grabbed a breath of air but was still underwater.

His lungs filled with icy water. Suddenly he bobbed to the surface, coughing and spluttering. ‘I honestly believed it was a point in time that I was going to die.

I could see nothing. I had no energy and I didn’t know where I was. The thought flashed through my mind about my family.

I wondered where they would find my body and how far I would be washed down. ‘Then it was as though a voice told me to keep swimming. My life went before my eyes.

I couldn’t just throw the towel in. It was the will to live.’ Brown saw a flicker of light through the gloom and he made a last final desperate effort.

‘I swam towards it with everything I had left. I had to make it, because that was survival.’ The light was a flashlight held by an ambulance officer standing in the shallows.

With the help of a youth, the officer dragged Brown from the water. He only found out how who rescued him two years later. He was taken to an ambulance, where he heard on the radio that people were still trapped.

So he got out and ran back to the place he started from. He helped to drag another person from the muddy torrent, then tried to drive a police car but crashed it. He has no recollections of these final moments.

Covered in bruises and cuts and with his big toe almost severed, Brown was taken to the city police station in a police car. Sergeant Colin Winchester, later Assistant Commissioner, took him to the hospital and then to his home. For many years later, he dreamed of being in the flood, throwing the blankets off and hearing people calling for help.

When he recovered, he sold his sailboat and scuba gear. He stopped swimming. Like many of the relatives of those lost that night, Brown still longs for some kind of closure to he experiences.

‘It may help the families of those who drowned to know that we did at least try. ‘I know it is now 30 years since that incident, but never a day goes by that I don’t think about the 12 people we did pull from the flood. ‘And I wonder why it couldn’t be 19.’

Apologies for dragging out an old post but I just wanted to say thanks for this. Jeff Brown is my fiance’s uncle and we will be popping over to his house for dinner on Saturday. I had absolutely no idea about this story and will be interested in discussing it with him on the weekend.

Cheers.

I have a bittersweet update to teh current situation regarding a memorial for the 1971 floods.

For the non facebookers/email groupers, I have transcribed it below.

I would like to thank RiotACT and all the people who made their support known for this cause, most of all though I thank RiotACT its self and JB, with whom this story would not have got so much momentum.

SO its with mixed emotions I post the following

***********************************************

Dear All,

I just made a phonecall in response to the email I received the other day from Lisa C regarding her father Neville G and his efforts thus far regarding a memorial for the 1971 floods and a subsequent memorial.

On the back of the Canberra Times story dated 4 October 2008 regarding Mr Mcinnes call for a more suitable memorial to be installed. Neville started lobbying the government in particular Mr Stanhope heavily. He told me that despite him turning 70 soon, his letters were very peppery :). He CC’d these letters to the Canberra Times and Zed Seselja and recently got a breakthrough.

Neville discussed us and our group with Mr Mcinnes from the Canberra Times story, and they agreed that, even though they have support from Mr Stanhope, they believe that if we were to approach him, it may confuse and possibly jeopardize the process.

Neville went on to read me a few passages that he has lobbied Mr Stanhope with, and explained that the monument they were looking at was an obelisk. The reason being there was 4 families who lost members on that day. The Obelisk would be located so that the setting sun would cast a shadow over the general area that the victims were located.

Neville was very touched that a group of people who had nothing to do with the events that day were offering help.

I then explained, that on his advice, we would cease and desist any efforts in regards to the memorial. He speculated that there may be public submissions for designs of a monument. I then advised him that if there was any way that we could help, to please contact us. I went on to explain that no request would be too menial, and that I (and members of the group) were still happy to provide monetary assistance.

He thanked us all very much, and assured us that he was genuinely touched. He said that he was hoping that the government would pay for the monument, given the amount of money it spends on public art fixtures, and he also requests a formal acknowledgment from the current government of the tragedies of that day, the human hero factor and to accept responsibility.

I ended the phone call with passing on my contact details and assured Neville if he needed help with anything, that if no one else, I would be available.

So that friends is where it stands.
I cant help but feel a bit sad,and would like to thank you all for your support. Perhaps some time in the future Neville will call upon us for help, in which case, I hope you all show your dedication to him as you have to this group.

Warm regards

Daniel B

Yes, it was awesome to get that publicity from the Chronicle! Thank you everybody – you know who you are!!

: )

Err Yesterdays in fact – I thought today was Tuesday due to long weekend.

Today’s Chronicle?

I should get mine in about two weeks, then…
(I just found out about the Nolan Gallery a few days ago)

There is an article in todays Southside Chronicle regarding our proposed memorial, with details on how to contact me if you wish to contribute to our efforts, more non monetarily at this stage. (Page 8, top right hand corner).

If you are interested in being involved, or even just wanting to sign a petition(Hopefully it will not come to that) or show your support to our cause, you are urged to join the facebook group as it will be the communication hub for this project.

Thank you kindly to JB, who was instrumental in casting a wide net on our behalf via the chronicle.

I’ve done a bit of drainage engineering, and at Uni the Canberra system and the Yarralumla Ck storm were both on the syllabus.

The Canberra system, from memory, works on the basis that in urban areas the 1 in 10 year storm will be handled by the gutters, grates, drains and underground pipes, up to 1 in 20 should be contained by roads, and the 1 in 100 will stay below property boundaries (along the stormwater channel easements, aka parks in Canberra).

The freakish thing about the Yarralumla Creek storm was that although its severity wasn’t that great, it travelled along the path of the flood wave at just the right speed to be continually adding to the peak flow crest, resulting in a peak flow rate more akin to a much more severe storm.

Cutting edge flood design tries to take that sort of possibility in to account, with computer simulated areally-dynamic storm modelling.

I’m kind of committed up to the eyeballs tomorrow, BerraBoy68, or I would be there in a flash!

What time is it?

I do hope some of the others can make it along with you …. I think it’s fantastic that you’re going! Thank you so much.

All, I am informed by another Rioter that a few of the police involved in the ’71 Floods are intending to gather tomorrow morning (Aust. Day) at the site fore a remembrance. The CT have been invited along too. I don’t have specific times etc. for this gathering but if you have a few hours to spare and are so inclined – go for it.

If you can make it, I’d let the older police guys know your there to support them and the call for a memorial. I’m not sure if they want it as a private function or not, but think they’d appreciate the support and the fact that others remember or still care. Hopefully, I’ll see you there.

That’s great, BerraBoy68! Good on you!

Danman said :

Yeah I am not sure how long they have been there but I saw them a few weeks ago and was like wow – huge accident and I never even heard about it.

I think someone above ^^^ or in one of the links mentions the memorial – but I am not sure how long they have been there.

Danman – I’ve just joined the FB group. Please let me know if/how I can help. I’ve read various articles about this incident for years as they have appeared in the CT and believe a proper memorial is long overdue. Since I first read about this some years ago I often think specifically of the young guy that died in the flood as I drive around the roundabout. From memory he was a bit mentally underdeveloped but had just got his drivers license and was caught in the flood and drowned. I’m not sure why but I’d like to see photo’s of the victims before they died – if any exist or are on record. It’d help to relate to them more than just names.

Yeah I am not sure how long they have been there but I saw them a few weeks ago and was like wow – huge accident and I never even heard about it.

I think someone above ^^^ or in one of the links mentions the memorial – but I am not sure how long they have been there.

Seriously? I drive past there daily. You’re probably right though – I took a more detailed look at the whole area after reading this thread yesterday.

And it’s probably not really enough of a memorial if nobody remembers what they’re for.

el – They have been there for ages, I saw them a few weeks ago – but it only clicked the other day why they are there.

I guess its a case of not knowing and then observing after knowing?

Oh, that’s really nice!

*sniff*

7 small white crosses appeared next to where Melrose drive joins the roundabout sometime this morning/last night.

You may 😉

It is from the Canberra Times Article of 4 October 2008 that I linked in my comment at #3.

Poptop – Where did you source your information – If I may ask ?

Victims of the flood were Jennifer Anne Seymour, 12, and her sister, Dianne Elizabeth, 8; Michael John Smith, 6, and his two sisters, Carmel, 18, and Margaret, 14; Roderick Dumareq Simon, 20, and Lon Victor Cumberland, 18.

That’s right. There are always plenty of reasons not to do something, but nothing constructive would ever get done if people always focused on the obstacles rather than the solutions.

These people deserve a memorial, and we intend to get them one!

: )

Granny – I concur – but if worst comes to worst – Im sure we can handle it. I have a whipper snipper and mower (Both salvaged and repaired like new from Aussie Junk!! )

There is a current memorial in place – I wonder how the upkeep of these are addressed?

Well, I can’t see that a plaque would require a huge amount of maintenance, though. No more than keeping the grass and weeds down, and they’d have to do that anyway in that area.

old canberran5:44 pm 23 Jan 09

Yes, and I think people that brave deserve to have closure, old canberran.

I agree Granny. My comment was not necessarily my opinion about a memorial but my opinion about the Government policy on memorials. I can think of numerous events where a memorial could be requested and that’s what a Government would want to avoid for no other reason than ongoing maintenance for example. Nothing looks worse that an overgrown memorial.

Hopefully somebody who was there at the time or who knew those involved will post, although there are less Baby Boomers on the net than subsequent generations, I think.

So back on topic, does anyone know the names of (or anything about) those that died?

Oh and max kudos to whoever started the FB group…It was not me so I cn not take credit – but whoever did – cheers – you’re enabling a great thing.

Good stuff – Il take that all on board – perhaps if people want tt discuss it further they can join the facebook group – that way we have a dedicated area to discuss it, we are not taking up RA bandwidth and we can quantify interested parties.

I think a letter to Mr Stanhope to begin with.

If you join the facebook group, ill move all discussions regarding this there.
I can not access FB @ my place of employ so if you ask any questions of me, please be patient and ill try and get back to you after COB on that day.

Ill draft a letter to Mr Stanhope tonight and hopefully we can have it off to him for the 38th anniversiary on the 26th Jan.

Dan, first move is to try and get official sanction.

If you get no joy there we’ll consider a guerilla action.

And to think they are proposing to build right over the stormwater drain running along Athllon Drive Phillip (units and commercial I think?). I doubt that a flood like this could ‘never happen again’ – The new year hailstorm in Tuggers only a couple of years ago did a similar thing – debris/hail (including huge blocks of concrete falling off the side of the storm water channels from water pressure) blocked the large stormwater drains in Calwell. Just good fortune no one was washed away in the floods on taht occasion.

I thank our lucky stars we didn’t get caught in that Woden flashflood – we were going home in a car that only ended up getting bogged in Lambrigg street in someone’s topsoil that had washed onto the road! Not sure if dan’s articles mention it (or did I miss it?) but my recollection is that is was dusk/early evening so it was dark, making it even harder to rescue people.

man that post made no sence – let me know if it needs deciphering – its early 🙁

Basic facts are that the 03 bushfire have their own memorial (4 fatalities) = the Air Disaster has its own memorial (10 fatalities) The we have is along the lines of a brass/bronze plate on a cement slab honoring the bravery of those involved on the night, and honoring the memory of the poor souls who perished that night.

Even if it is self funded I cannot see why the Government would say no – after passing the buck for 38 years.

Maybe if we get approval we can get some local businesses on board as well, using local radio stations as a catalyst ?

The important thing is to get the families involved.

Luke the Scouser11:59 pm 22 Jan 09

what is “the mushroom” i went to melrose from 05-08 and remembering hearing stuff about it

GardeningGirl10:56 pm 22 Jan 09

Granny said :

I think those people do deserve the closure they are seeking and some recognition for the courage displayed and a public memorial that people were lost here in order to show our respect for that loss.

Agreed.

Yes, and I think people that brave deserve to have closure, old canberran.

johnboy said :

I think we could stand for memorials popping up all over the city for every seven death pileup.

I’m not sure how to take that comment – but if your’re serious, I’ll try to assist.

I think we could stand for memorials popping up all over the city for every seven death pileup.

old canberran9:58 pm 22 Jan 09

The problem with memorials is that they set a precedent. If the ACT Government erected one for the Woden disaster the floodgates (no pun intended) would be opened for requests for other memorials all over the city.
As I recall it there was a 100 year frequency flood in Woden the weekend before the Australia day downpour. Debris from the first flood blocked some of the stormwater drains and which hadn’t been removed by the time the second 100 year deluge happened the following weekend. It was not really a design fault but rather an unexpected event by mother nature, 2×100 year events within 7 days.

Roadrage77 said :

LaLa said :

Delurking to agree to the idea of a memorial.
I went to Melrose and teachers always always warned against walking in the storm water drains – but they were very vague about why. Just because that’s why.

As Melrose alumni, you’d be well acquainted with “The Mushroom” nearby then?

Sadly RoadRage77, I went to Melrose for 2 years before moving to QLD and didn’t know of “The Mushroom”.

ChrisinTurner9:35 pm 22 Jan 09

V twin venom said :

Nice work Danman. The stories are both facinating and tragic.

Oh, and ChrisinTurner @#22 with your refernce to the Summernats folk and their blatant attempt to render the stormwater network and water retention basin useless…..fukc off and pick your argument elsewhere. I for one am sick of it.

Maybe it was EPIC and not Summernats, however any lack of supervision of our floodways will only result in more fatalities in due course.

Interesting posting guys, the 1 in 100 year flood plain. I raised this at a meeting about the proposed Eastlake redevelopment. A proposed high-rise development between the Causeway and the Monarob Hgwy (maybe 9000 residents in the inner south). This must be flood prone. Was dismissed as an idiot!
Gary Humphries approved a block of land in the flood plain at Mill Creek Oval, Narrabundah ,for residential development. Trust there is no basement parking!
A friend who worked on the Tuggeranong stormwater system told me they had a use by date of 20 years! Can’t acknowledge the truth in this as I thought concrete was forever!

Sorry I did not mean self funded by RiotACT itself – I meant RiotACT contributers and users.

In no way did I intend to insinuate that RiotACT should pay – sorry if there was any miscommunication – which I doubt – but thought I better clear it up anyway.

Throwing it down right now.

Just came home from George H Inn and the urban plan stormwater systems are fully primed and kicking serious arse.
Even Mrs Danman was in awe.

Wish I had my camera with me 🙁

You can always join the new Facebook group, Danman!

: )

Well it could almost be self funded by RiotACT – a laser etched brass plate could not cost that much between us all…

Citing all the names and the date of the tragedy.

I could dig a small (600x400x150) pit, we get some cement poured in there, float and dress it.

When its hardened dynabolt and/or liquid nails the plaque to it..

I’m happy to do the labour side if someone wants to clear it with the government…

It could not cost that much…

LaLa said :

Delurking to agree to the idea of a memorial.
I went to Melrose and teachers always always warned against walking in the storm water drains – but they were very vague about why. Just because that’s why.

As Melrose alumni, you’d be well acquainted with “The Mushroom” nearby then?

GottaLoveCanberra5:28 pm 22 Jan 09

In that same storm Danman a huuuuge chunk of the drainage system was also removed in Richardson/Isabella Plains.

Delurking to agree to the idea of a memorial.
I went to Melrose and teachers always always warned against walking in the storm water drains – but they were very vague about why. Just because that’s why.

Granny said :

I think those people do deserve the closure they are seeking and some recognition for the courage displayed and a public memorial that people were lost here in order to show our respect for that loss.

I agree. The memorial serves additional purposes as well. It would be a reminder for those Canberrans alive at the time affected in large and small ways and ensure that younger Canberrans at least know about such a significant event in the history of Canberra.

I reckon we should have a poll on who thinks there should be a memorial!

In those hail storms in Febuary (07??) a 20 metre section of canal across the road from my friends in waniassa dissapeared – it wasn’t found – It was like it never existed. 20 meters of concrete and rebar evaporated – and Waniassa is a fair distance (in terms of pushing 20 m worth of concrete down a canal) from Lake Tug.

Rushing water enmasse is powerful, frightening, loud, dangerous and awe inspiring.

chewy14 said :

Danman,

the stormwater drains in Curtin at McCullock St near the gross pollutant trap still rage like that during a good storm. I can only imagine what it was like when it was still a creek in 1971.

Went there the next day. Water was still backed up to the oval. It had flowed over the oval deep enough to carry away the equipment shed used by the South Canberra Athletics Club.

Steady Eddie said :

One of the responses to the flood was a redesign of floodways. Yarralumla Creek (where the flood occurred) was a concrete floodway. For future floodways there was no concrete, they were built as grassed thoroughfares. This was done to slow the flow of stormwater. One of the disadvantages was that they weren’t always prominent as floodways and warnings couldn’t be painted on them.

The significantly bigger x-section of these channels means a much larger volume of water can be carried.

Taking a cross post perspective, I wonder if covering the storm water drains in Yarralumla has anything to do with flooding in Deakin. I remember they were open when I lived there in the 60s.

Danman said :

That first article appears as it does in the archive – sorry for that.

Jeff brown was also involved in the canberra fires, here is the link to his version of the fire events…

http://www.peterclack.com.au/view_page.php?id=14

Jeff was a hero in the woden flooding, and is a very good example of the AFP members working with the community that they live in. We really don’t hear that much about the AFP heroes. All we hear is the bad things that happen, and the police that are involved.

The work that Jeff put in to save as many as he did on the night of the flooding wasn’t through personal gain, it was his job, but he went that bit further to help everyone he could.

Yes, but we are a land of drought and flooding rain …. If my garage was flooding in drought, I’d be wondering what to expect in times of flooding rain.

Danman,

the stormwater drains in Curtin at McCullock St near the gross pollutant trap still rage like that during a good storm. I can only imagine what it was like when it was still a creek in 1971.

Granny said :

So does this mean that people such as the residents in Deakin could be in real danger of life-threatening flooding?

Deakin doesn’t have a particularly large catchment area compared to the Woden Valley. Not that the house flooding there is not a serious matter. Fatalities are not likely unless the affected Deakonians, in despair, stage an armed civil uprising.

Steady Eddie2:49 pm 22 Jan 09

One of the responses to the flood was a redesign of floodways. Yarralumla Creek (where the flood occurred) was a concrete floodway. For future floodways there was no concrete, they were built as grassed thoroughfares. This was done to slow the flow of stormwater. One of the disadvantages was that they weren’t always prominent as floodways and warnings couldn’t be painted on them.

Like I said, I am fascinated by urban design, and love seeing drains in full flood – if you ever get the chance, go to the bridge just near the bottom of wanganeen in Gunghalin after a good storm.. Thats all you’ll ever need to respect storm water channels.

30ft wide torrent of churning myddy water 5ft deep – no thanks I dont wanna get stuck in that

But couldn’t the lack of upkeep still be dangerous?

Absolutely.

But couldn’t the lack of upkeep still be dangerous?

I was only seven or eight at the time, and I do have vague recollections of the horror of cars being sucked into pipes and people drowning, but to be honest I wouldn’t have remembered it at all if not for this thread.

The legacy of the flood in our family was that my parents were terrified of us playing in stormwater drains, to the extent that my sister and I never did. That same fear and attitude is something I’ve passed on to my own children without ever really understanding why. I just knew that you mustn’t, mustn’t, mustn’t do that ever! Funny isn’t it?

I think those people do deserve the closure they are seeking and some recognition for the courage displayed and a public memorial that people were lost here in order to show our respect for that loss.

Not too sure G – here’s hoping not.

Urban design is pretty nifty, one would assume that Deakin has all the required failsafes installed, just poorly maintained.

So its not the infrastructure itself failing residents, its the lack of upkeep.
Of course this is just my assumption and I have no qualifications to say so with authority.

See Northbourne after a squall if you wanna know what poorly maintained stormwater runoff infrastructure equals.

So does this mean that people such as the residents in Deakin could be in real danger of life-threatening flooding?

I remember that night all so clearly. Myself ( all of 16yo) and anther colleague were manning the sevice station at Lyons on that fatefull night. News came via a customer or over the news what was happening down at the intersection. We closed up “shop” quick smart as the word was help was needed fast.

On arrival it was mayhem,I think it was fairly early into the event as there was nobody in command, well thats how it seemed, so all we could do was to form human chains,rope was limited , and drag people to safety.There were still people trapped in cars and people clinging on to light poles and anything that could help them stay afloat.

To this day the events of that night still linger.

Danman said :

Urban design with regard to stormwater integration has always been a fascination for me.

Did you know that golf courses are oft used as buffers for stormwater – additionally, most green belts in canberra have subterranean storm water pipes with regular grates and usually are engineered into natural water courses. This is so it can handle normal flows, but at times of peak flow, it uses both the stormwater pipe and the natural contours of teh land above ground to deliver the water away from high land to lower areas to be dealt with.

Thats why you often see those floodway signs in dry green belts – they are intended for when the submerged stormwater pipes are over peak usage – like a 15 year storm or something.

I think last year Standope wanted to creat vast underground saces to store stormwater runoff to irrigate government property (Sports fields etc) but it never got up.

They are still doing something like that, not on a vast scale. Along the same floodway mentioned by Fiona, at the Weston end, a large underground tank has been installed in an Actew Facility. Maybe 50 KL. I hate to think at what cost or the $/KL for water it extracts.

V twin venom1:48 pm 22 Jan 09

Nice work Danman. The stories are both facinating and tragic.

Oh, and ChrisinTurner @#22 with your refernce to the Summernats folk and their blatant attempt to render the stormwater network and water retention basin useless…..fukc off and pick your argument elsewhere. I for one am sick of it.

I always think about the people who died when I drive past the old Woden Tech (the space-age building across from the Interchange.). Several of those who died had gone out in their cars to pick people up from there at 9 PM. One was a young newlywed who went out to pick up his young wife. His car was one of those washed down a stormwater drain and stuck in the grate underwater.

Our teachers in Woden used to make dire remarks about the stormwater drains too, but people still used to walk around in them.

Yeah apologies for getting off topic. Just a bit too lazy to start a new thread.

Interesting… Try starting a new thread RR77

Speaking of Southwell Park in Lyneham, does anyone have any info on two girls who were killed by a “fireball” during a Hockey game in the 70’s?

ant said :

Notice in the accounts Danman put up, mention that it had been raining for a week. I remember when that used to happen, in teh 60s and 70s, 80s too I think. Heavy, steady rain for days at a time.

That’s something we don’t get any more.

Rainfall records for Canberra Airport won’t have picked up the particular storm event but give some idea of what the weather was like for January in 1971 following an average December. Figures are for 24 hours up till 9 AM.

      January        Rainfall (mm)
             3                 7.1

            13               9.7

            17             30.0

            23               4.8
            24               2.0
            25             23.6
            26             13.7
            27               7.9

That’s like Florey and around that area. Huge cut-outs of earth along Krefft St, behind St Johns Primary, towards Southern Cross Drive. I remember one year it being almost full.

ChrisinTurner said :

Yet Summernats are allowed to almost completely block the floodway through EPIC with stored concrete barriers and tyres. The whole burnout track area is supposed to be a floodway. Canberra has a highly engineered floodway system that remains unnoticed by most people.

Yes,

have a look at Southwell park in Lyneham. The whole oval is a flood storage area to protect the city area from flooding of Sullivans creek.

And the massive dam and floodway between Conder and Banks.

Things are designed better now, to prevent flooding like this occuring again.

Although from the other thread it seems that some older areas of Canberra are in need of some serious upgrading.

Urban design with regard to stormwater integration has always been a fascination for me.

Did you know that golf courses are oft used as buffers for stormwater – additionally, most green belts in canberra have subterranean storm water pipes with regular grates and usually are engineered into natural water courses. This is so it can handle normal flows, but at times of peak flow, it uses both the stormwater pipe and the natural contours of teh land above ground to deliver the water away from high land to lower areas to be dealt with.

Thats why you often see those floodway signs in dry green belts – they are intended for when the submerged stormwater pipes are over peak usage – like a 15 year storm or something.

I think last year Standope wanted to creat vast underground saces to store stormwater runoff to irrigate government property (Sports fields etc) but it never got up.

ChrisinTurner said :

Yet Summernats are allowed to almost completely block the floodway through EPIC with stored concrete barriers and tyres. The whole burnout track area is supposed to be a floodway. Canberra has a highly engineered floodway system that remains unnoticed by most people.

Yeah, I recently noticed the floodways in Weston near Coolo… walking along the path there seeing the signs not to let the kids play there in the rain. Kinda cool that it’s still very useable land the rest of the time unlike storm water drains.

ChrisinTurner12:47 pm 22 Jan 09

Yet Summernats are allowed to almost completely block the floodway through EPIC with stored concrete barriers and tyres. The whole burnout track area is supposed to be a floodway. Canberra has a highly engineered floodway system that remains unnoticed by most people.

Skidbladnir said :

Remember: we’re in harsh financial times, and Stanhope is a prick.

That’s almost poolroom-worthy. Nice and pithy.

Skidbladnir said :

They’ll just stick a plaque on Diornus and say “In memoriam for citizens T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z”…

Remember: we’re in harsh financial times, and Stanhope is a prick.

that we can’t get rid of, as the greens won’t no-confidence him…

They’ll just stick a plaque on Diornus and say “In memoriam for citizens T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z”…

Remember: we’re in harsh financial times, and Stanhope is a prick.

Notice in the accounts Danman put up, mention that it had been raining for a week. I remember when that used to happen, in teh 60s and 70s, 80s too I think. Heavy, steady rain for days at a time.

That’s something we don’t get any more.

Timberwolf6511:14 am 22 Jan 09

Sorry wasn’t yet born, but it was interesting to read about it.

EMA website here claims that the stormwater system was engineered for a once in a 100 year flood, and the urbanisation of land that used to be natural buffer i.e. grasslands anmd woodlands was a contributing factor.

Beserk Keyboard Warrior10:42 am 22 Jan 09

I think 5 of the deceased were from one family (possibly Reynolds?). They were all young, with ages ranging between about 5 and 21 from memory. The bodies eventually washed up adjacent to the North Curtin playing fields.

The rather large overpass on Carruthers street was also built as a result of the tragedy as one of the deaths occurred there.

Woden has always been a natural flooding zone. The downpour wasn’t as “freakish” as it may have sounded. The CT article the following day claimed it was a “once in 10 year” storm. It was therefore inevitable that the trgedy was going to happen given the inadequate drainage system in place.

I was only young but remember because most of Queanbeyan was under water.
There is a story on,
http://www.afp.gov.au/media/act_media/act_policing_events/2005/a_flash_flood_and_35_years_of_policing

Steady Eddie10:30 am 22 Jan 09

The flood happened a month after we moved to Canberra. There was no self government in the ACT and the various bureaucrats and ministers did their best to shuffle responsibility and try to get the public to forget it ever happened. That is the reason there is no memorial – nobody ever suggested it and the powers-to-be certainly were not going to erect one. The only memorial is the Yarra Glen roundabout which was built after the flood – prior to this there was just a T-intersection, there weren’t even any traffic lights.

la mente torbida10:22 am 22 Jan 09

@Thumper

I think you’re right. It used to be a t-intersection between Yamba and Melrose (prior to the roundabout). The section of road that spanned the storm water channel was a series of concrete pipes below the road. With the flood of water, the pipes were blocked by debris, causing a backup and flooding of the roadway. Cars were then washed from the intersection and into the storm water channel below Curtin.

I stil remember the night.

that second story is pretty full-on, what a horrible experience that policeman had. I have a very vague recollection that at some point, that creek went into a pipe or under a bridge or something, and The people who died at been drawn into that, and trapped.

When I was at Marist there was just a vague occasional mention from a few of the older teachers about how dangerous stormwater drains could be, and that the Yarralumla Creek (now a stormwater drain that runs between Pearce and Mawson down to near where Diornus is ( where it meets the other stormwater drain what used to be another, different creek)) specifically had killed people back in the 70’s.

Nobody ever went into any detail when we asked questions. 🙁

No memorial as the government didn’t have a reason to be ashamed?

a combination of disbelief and indecision slowed the public response to the emerging crisis.

The more things change, eh?

That first article appears as it does in the archive – sorry for that.

Just done a quick archival search and found these 2 reports – Sorry for length of post.

Ill do an extended search later to see if I can source the original 1971 articles.

Tumultuous events over 25 years
The Canberra Times
02 November 2005

January is usually a dry month in Canberra however, during the formative years of the nation’s capital a highly unusual event occurred in the Woden Valley which tested the resources and courage of police officers at the old Woden Police Station. Detective Superintendent (retired) Ian ‘Herb’ Prior was a young constable when a freakish storm hit Canberra on Australia Day, 1971. ”I looked out the car window to see an enormous bank of dark clouds forming to the south- east,” he said. Back in 1971, the now-thriving Phillip business district was still undeveloped. That open ground channelled the waters rushing down from Farrer Ridge and Mount Taylor on either side, focussing it into a dirty torrent rushing down the valley. It was the ”once in 100 years” flood, and the locals had never seen anything like it. ”A lightning bolt took out the police radio tower, leaving commercial radio as the only means of communicating both for police and the public,” Mr Prior said.

While the local radio stations issued warnings of the coming floods, a combination of disbelief and indecision slowed the public response to the emerging crisis. As a member of the ACT Police Search and Rescue Squad, Herb Prior knew his services would be needed. When he arrived at the intersection of Yamba and Melrose Drives, at the former low-level crossing for Yarralumla Creek, he could scarcely believe what he was seeing. ”I saw people clinging to trees after their cars had been swept off the crossing and into the creek,” he said. Police, ambulance and fire brigade members had to form human chains to rescue the people in shallow water, where the current was less fierce. A tow truck arrived with chains and ropes on board, and these

were commandeered by emergency crews. Constable Jeff Brown, from the Woden Station, tied a rope around his waist and struggled out deep into the torrent.He repeatedly pulled people to safety, and was later to receive a British Empire Medal for gallantry for his efforts that day. ”A call came over the truckie’s CB radio that a bloke was caught in a car near the creek bridge at MCulloch Street, in Curtin,” Mr Prior said. ”It was dark when we arrived but by torch light we saw the car in the centre of the flood, jammed sideways against a large willow tree. ”We ran about 80 metres upstream and floated down to the car, our efforts complicated by the lengths of rope we carried. ”On reaching the car, we found a petrified driver clinging to the steering wheel.” The situation became more drastic as a whirlpool had begun to develop around the car. The

man tied the rope around his chest, wound down his window, and pushed himself out into the torrent, trusting in the firemen and bystanders to pull him to safety. Seconds later, the car went under water. Tragically, seven people lost their lives that fateful day, trapped in their cars as the floodwaters raged. Five police officers from Woden Station, including Constable Brown, received bravery awards as a result of their actions that day.

The Day Killer Floods Hit Woden
19 November 2000
Canberra Times

Seven people drowned as creek ran wild

Thirty years ago, seven people died in the worst drowning tragedy in Canberra’s history. Four children were among the victims. The drownings did not take place in a river, lake or dam.

This drama played itself out in the Woden Valley, centred on the roundabout where Yamba and Melrose drives and Yarra Glen intersect. It was early evening on Australia Day, 1971, when a threatening storm finally broke. The Yarralumla Creek and storm drains were incapable of carrying the mass of water away and soon a boiling, brackish lake of swirling, angry black water began to lap the roads.

A series of tragedies and heroic acts took place that night in some of the most desperate and treacherous conditions imaginable. Before the night was over, 62 cars had been washed away and Canberra was in mourning. Six months later, a 23-year-old police officer was awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry.

He is the only Australian police officer to win the award. Four others received the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct. Since that night, the young constable has remained silent about his personal ordeal.

He has kept bottled up inside his sense of failure for not being able to help the seven victims. His name is Jeff Brown, and this is his story. Now a sergeant, and currently acting superintendent in ACT Police Communications, Sgt Brown said his life had been a preparation for such a night.

He had grown up in Wagga Wagga where he was a member of the local life saving club on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. He had always loved the river, often floating down it for miles just for the joy of it. ‘I was fit, I was ready for it,’ he said.

He joined the ACT Police in February, 1969, and he was on duty on Australia Day, 1971. It had been raining for a week and Canberra was saturated. ‘It was early evening and you could see the storm coming in’.

He was a passenger in the police accident van, going along Belconnen Way when the rain began falling. The driver was Constable Mick Lucas. There was a cloud burst and a radio call came in that a roundabout was flooded at Woden.

The rain was so heavy the roads were almost impassable. The conditions lowered the van’s top speed to 15km/h. They took what seemed like an eternity to get there.

They drove through Curtin to see a kilometre-wide lake where Yarra Glen used to be, stretching off into the darkness. ‘I just couldn’t believe it, in Canberra,’ Sgt Brown said. Power had failed already.

So he set up the generator and a spotlight as the last of the daylight vanished. The two young policemen threw off their shoes and shirts. He stepped over a power line and it sizzled and sparked.

What the spotlight showed gave him a jolt. The water was surging along and people were in the water, some clinging to light poles, safety rails and street signs. ‘It was the darkest night I had ever seen.

All you saw were beams of light. It was a fast-moving lake.’ They grabbed a rope from the van and rushed into the water, past about 40 people standing at the edge.

They persuaded them to form a human chain in the shallows and began dragging people from the surging water. Lucas took control near the edge and Brown floated out, holding on to the rope. ‘I went right out, the water was over my head.’

He was swimming against the current. ‘You just got whoever you could get and you would pass them on.’ Others were in the water, which kept rising and was eddying and boiling around him.

He could not hear anything above the roar of the water, wind and rain. One man was plucked from a lamp post. They got people any way they could.

There was no plan or order. Soon, the current was too strong to hold him. He was torn off the rope and swung out into the current.

Brown tried swimming back to shore. But by now he had been in cold water for 20 minutes and he began to feel exhausted. He tried harder.

Soon, he realised he was helpless. ‘I knew now it was life or death.’ Then he heard a girl call out for help and he knew she had to be close.

He had stopped swimming to see where she was. To his horror he saw a man nearby go under the water. A car floated by with its headlights on.

Brown had no idea if there was anyone inside. He looked back to the shore, now 100 metres away. He shouted out and tried to find the girl who had called for help.

Now he was alone in the blackness and struggling for his own life. He was dragged under and held his breath as long as he could. He grabbed a breath of air but was still underwater.

His lungs filled with icy water. Suddenly he bobbed to the surface, coughing and spluttering. ‘I honestly believed it was a point in time that I was going to die.

I could see nothing. I had no energy and I didn’t know where I was. The thought flashed through my mind about my family.

I wondered where they would find my body and how far I would be washed down. ‘Then it was as though a voice told me to keep swimming. My life went before my eyes.

I couldn’t just throw the towel in. It was the will to live.’ Brown saw a flicker of light through the gloom and he made a last final desperate effort.

‘I swam towards it with everything I had left. I had to make it, because that was survival.’ The light was a flashlight held by an ambulance officer standing in the shallows.

With the help of a youth, the officer dragged Brown from the water. He only found out how who rescued him two years later. He was taken to an ambulance, where he heard on the radio that people were still trapped.

So he got out and ran back to the place he started from. He helped to drag another person from the muddy torrent, then tried to drive a police car but crashed it. He has no recollections of these final moments.

Covered in bruises and cuts and with his big toe almost severed, Brown was taken to the city police station in a police car. Sergeant Colin Winchester, later Assistant Commissioner, took him to the hospital and then to his home. For many years later, he dreamed of being in the flood, throwing the blankets off and hearing people calling for help.

When he recovered, he sold his sailboat and scuba gear. He stopped swimming. Like many of the relatives of those lost that night, Brown still longs for some kind of closure to he experiences.

‘It may help the families of those who drowned to know that we did at least try. ‘I know it is now 30 years since that incident, but never a day goes by that I don’t think about the 12 people we did pull from the flood. ‘And I wonder why it couldn’t be 19.’

The Crimes covered this issue back in October ’08 with a retired Policeman, Blen McInnes, suggesting that Dinornis Maximus was a bit insensitive, should be moved and replaced with a suitable memorial to the people who died.

It seems the issue of a memorial was a surprise to both both political leaders.

I vaguely remember it, big fuzzy pictures on the front of the CT and lots of shock and horror. It is odd that there’s nothing commemorating it, I expect the gov’t (we were ruled by a Territories Minister and a department then) was not keen to have peopel thinking about it.

When I pass that big roundabout, I remember what happened though.

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