The Big Flood Glenreagh 1950: Stories of Heroism and Survival

Commissioned by the Glenreagh School of Arts to coincide with their Cedar & Steam Art Competition in 2023, the book is a compilation of illustrated poetry and short stories. In 1950 Glenreagh, on the Orara River in the north east of NSW, Australia, experienced a huge flood which washed houses off their foundations and caused massive destruction of property and livestock in the area, but no lives were lost. First hand accounts of survival stories, such as rescues of people trapped in their ceilings, a poem recalling the heroism of a local aboriginal man, Jimmy Fisher, who rowed out in the floodwaters to make one rescue, and other sometimes humorous stories from the event, are illustrated with drawings and photos. Complied from local historical records and first hand accounts, the book is a tribute to those in the community at that time, preserving in a more popular format memories of this historical event. Suitable for all ages; younger people will enjoy the illustrations, older people will find the stories inspirational, Glenreagh locals will relive a time when community spirit won over a flood.