I really didn’t expect to be wishing I was a Queenslander this weekend. But I did. Because of the volunteers. How many times have we watched horrors unfold on TV and wrung our hands and said “I wish I could help”. This weekend, Queenslanders didn’t wring and didn’t wish, they just got on with it. They put on their gumboots and their gloves, grabbed their shovels and helped each other. Or they stayed at home and baked and cooked for the volunteers.

Combined with the unimagineable personal stories of loss – particularly the children – that are now emerging, this story seems to just be hitting every emotion on the spectrum.

I asked Brisbane writer and MM contrib Kate Hunter to write about what it feels like to be a Queenslander right now…..

But while there is plentiful help in Brisbane, in some of the smaller, more remote flood-affected towns like Goodna, more help and volunteers are needed. MM Commenters Ooopsyboops sent in this clip taken in Goodna:

For a non-QLD perspective on the volunteer situation, Jo Hilder writes:

A campaign has also been started to help connect Australians in need with those that can help- it’s called Flood Aid and you can find it here.