Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have said many times in this chamber over the last two sittings, Townsville has experienced the worst extreme weather event in our recorded history. People are struggling, and we forget about the children and the impact that such an event has on their little lives. We often don't ask how they're feeling. My granddaughter is nine years old. Her mum and dad took in a family of four friends who had to leave their homes during the flood. Matilda sat quietly in her room after the event and wrote the following letter, which I would like to share with those in this place:

Dear Townsvill Army

Thankyou for helping the people in the Townsvill flud—

F-L-U-D—good spelling!—

and thank's for heping my mum's frend's truck.

and if it wazint for you people could have died in the fuld and I uspsherly—

I love that spelling: U-S-P-S-H-E-R-L-Y—

want to thankyou for helping my granny.

My name is Matilda and I rote you this letter.

This country is in great shape with young people like Matilda who have kind hearts, compassion and gratitude in abundance. We can learn so much from our young people if we take the time to be in their presence and genuinely listen to them. But the message in what Matilda is saying is that the ADF personnel in my community were nothing short of outstanding in assisting people day and night for now over two weeks to get their lives back in order. From the bottom on my heart, I say thank you.