Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the worst hits a community, we see the best in that community rise to the surface. I never need a reminder of how incredible our Forde region and its people are, but Tropical Cyclone Alfred probably reaffirmed this for many others. Seeing people band together at sandbag stations and dig deep to help their fellow community members—likely strangers in many cases—was so heartening. People were literally brought to their haunches after shovelling sand for hours on end for many, all in the name of doing their community duty—and it was terrific to see so many people there at the Beenleigh Showgrounds. Natural disasters such as Alfred or the 2022 floods might tear holes in homes or flood homes, yet I never cease to be amazed by the willingness of our community to get out and support those in need.

I want to give my sincere thanks to so many who individually helped across the electorate in the course of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. In particular, I give a heartfelt thankyou to the SES, Energex, and the volunteers and workers at Bethania Community Centre, Beenleigh lifestyle centre, Pimpama Sports Hub and the three recovery hubs in and around Forde, as well as many others. These wonderful volunteers are what make our community such a great place in which to live. Thank you once again for supporting those in need at a difficult time.