Produce market fruit for Grantham victims
17.01.2011
By: TONY KOCH
A SMALL mercy for shocked communities of the Lockyer Valley. but a welcome one all the same.
Sydney produce market operator Les Darcy arrived with $150,000 worth of fruit, vegetables and other goods donated by him and his market colleagues, allowing Grantham families to enjoy choice cherries, bananas, apples, rockmelons and biscuits.
``The Grantham farmers sell their lettuce and other produce through our markets, and I just thought we should do something for them,'' Mr Darcy, a grand-nephew of the famous Australian boxer, said yesterday.
``I got in touch with several of the wholesalers and every one of them contributed, so I loaded 22 pallets, which was about 20 tonnes of produce, and drove up.''
Meanwhile, more than 100 soldiers continued to search along Lockyer Creek and its tributaries looking for bodies. The previous day they had started at Murphy's Creek and followed the watercourses into Gatton, walking the banks -- a 40km trek that began at dawn and finished at 8pm.
The names of many of the people killed in last week's floods, as well as 14 who are still listed as missing, were released by the Queensland Police Service at midnight on Saturday and published in newspapers and on websites.
But Grantham residents and flood victims were not given access to the lists until noon yesterday. By that time, another body had been found in the town and the list had to be corrected.
Counsellors were in attendance to assist those stricken with grief when confronted with the names of family and friends.
Some people were told by the police yesterday it might be tomorrow before they are allowed back into their flood-damaged homes, many of which will have to be demolished.
All Grantham residents were given tetanus shots by Health Department officials to guard against infections from cuts and abrasions.
At their twice-daily briefings, the locals continued to express concern about looters, but they were assured by police that surveillance by military personnel and police was making any such crime almost impossible.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the authorities would not rest until ``every square inch is searched''.
He was clearly shocked by the destruction. ``Nothing compares to this,'' he said, his voice shaking.
``You can't describe how this could have happened.''
