Community
25 October, 2024
Community champions
MORE than 40 residents and community groups who played crucial roles in the response and recovery from Cyclone Jasper and flooding event last December have been recognised at at function in Mossman Gorge.
Among the humble and unsung heroes were members of the dinghy and boat crews who rescued flooded people and delivered food and equipment to isolated communities, shovel gangs who helped neighbours clean out their flooded houses, animal rescuers, community hub coordinators and some who, despite losing everything themselves, turned up in their community day after day in the wake of the devastation.
Mayor Lisa Scomazzon said it was a privilege to host the event to acknowledge the heroes of the natural disaster.
“We’ve got so many local heroes in our community and some of them today were recognised today, and it’s good to recognise the ones that really deserve it,” she said.
“I think we have a lot of stories in this Shire that people have been through in this natural disaster and I think we need to capture those.
“I think it is not just here here in Mossman or Port Douglas, but we’ve also got to include Degarra. There are so many heroes up there in Degarra, we need to capture that.
“As mayor you have to be very proud of how great our community has worked together and come out of this natural disaster … (I’m) not going to say unscathed but we’ve done really well and we could have lost a lot more lives than what we did.”
Those acknowledged included: Allison and Boydie Baird, Brooke Nikora, Cameron Case, Craig and Tracey Butland, Douglas Shire water reticulation team, Gary Mackay, Heather McGuilvery Taylor, Jessica Alexandratos, Jo Jeske, Julian Simon, Liza Dowling, Michael Lilley, Natascha Schwarzer, Peter Logan, Prue Patch, Sara Talacz, Tarren Woodhams, Tyson Dethridge, Beau Jorgensen, Barry Costain, Chad Morache, Corin Teague, Dean Jack, Jacqui Osborne, Kym Bennett, Stuart Yendle, Nathan Pidgeon, River Welhem, Annie Murie, Matty Humphrys, Ronald Jack, Aoife and Joanie Conway, Beck Shultz, Alec Dunn, Jodie Hunter and Mike Keen, Jake Weier, and Tyson Osborne.
