High on top of a mountain overlooking the Gold Coast the roar of chainsaws provides the soundtrack to life after a disaster.
A self-confessed “rag tag” bunch of volunteers have formed a group known locally as the Chainsaw Champions to help residents in the aftermath of a Christmas Day tornado that tore through parts of south-east Queensland.
The group was born from the same ethos as the Mud Army — thousands of volunteers who joined the clean-up effort after the historic 2011 Brisbane flood.
Tamborine Mountain was one of the worst affected areas in the deadly December storms that destroyed homes, wiped out power for a fortnight, and caused infrastructure damage since compared by energy minister Mick de Brenni to a category 5 cyclone.
As the weather cleared, hundreds of volunteers rolled up their sleeves.
Dozens dubbed Chainsaw Champions
Adam Chanter settled in Tamborine Mountain 11 years ago, wanting to reconnect with his small-town roots.
It’s the same care for community that inspired him to organise 75 volunteers with tree lopping equipment — many from outside the area — to clear properties for residents who couldn’t do it themselves.
“It’s not just about the physical work … the mental strain and stress are significant,” he said.
“We were able to say to people ‘go to the shops, go get a coffee’, and when they came back their home was clear.”
Mr Chanter shared information with other groups doing welfare checks and provided donated generators.
He also liaised with Disaster Relief Australia on jobs outside of his team’s capability.
‘Chaos, in a nutshell’
Damian Bartlett finds it hard to describe just how extensive the damage to the region was.
As an auxiliary firefighter he was called in to respond to triple-0 calls in the middle of the disaster.
“The only way you could describe it was a war zone,” he said.
“It was something that none of us have ever seen before. Chaos, in a nutshell.
“Normally with lights and sirens in the truck we can get to Thunderbird Park campground in four minutes. It took three hours.”
Using brute force, Mr Bartlett’s crew cut, dragged, and bulldozed through felled trees with sleeting rain pouring down.
As the night wore on and they faced an impassable road, the crew were forced to carry equipment kilometres to Kinabalu Drive by hand to rescue people trapped in bedrooms after trees fell on a house.
When he finally clocked off, Mr Bartlett began volunteering his time to clear yards and roads for residents unable to help themselves.
“There was literally an army of volunteers on this mountain and they came from everywhere,” he said.
“To be a part of that and see that happen was just insane.
“The community spirit really showed. Nothing was too big, nothing was too small. If you needed help, everyone was just willing to reach out and get it done.”
Banking on support
Nadine Biddle took a terrifying call from her daughter as trees came down around her car in the middle of the storm. Then the phone cut out.
A good Samaritan rescued Ms Biddle’s daughter Kiana from her car, which had been smashed by the vegetation.
A grateful Ms Biddle passed on the goodwill by helping to set up a food bank to assist families left without power and water after the disaster.
She estimates thousands of dollars of donated goods helped more than 500 people visiting a pop-up hub.
“It was incredible. People were coming out of nowhere to drop off donations of food and water and electrical supplies,” she said.
“I’m just so grateful that I could be a part of it. At one point I just sat back and just wanted to cry because there were people that were helping in there that I didn’t even know.”
Loading…
‘Brothers and sisters’ back the GC
Two teams of 43 volunteers from the Victorian SES and Country Fire Authority drove ten trucks 1,700 kilometres from Victoria to clear debris and help make damaged homes safe.
Victoria SES operations manager Andrew Murton marshalled the group.
“The devastation was just horrific,” he said.
“It’s a huge credit to our volunteer cohort across the board that put their hand up in their time of need.
“Our first taskforce celebrated 2024 on the Gold Coast away from family and friends, which they didn’t expect.
“We’re State Emergency Service … and we’ll pick up and move far and wide to support our brothers and sisters across the board.”
Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen believes he saw his community grow stronger in adversity.
“We [the council] could not possibly have organised every one of those responses at the time with the magnitude of this situation,” he said.
“People found a way. That’s what was beautiful.
“There were people who had a genuine desire to be part of lifting others up and they did it with whatever capacity they could bring to bear.”
