Small comfort as people rebuild shattered lives

In a split-second decision prompted by the raging torrent heading his way, the 53-year-old rural firefighter had decided to gather his wife and three children from the house and flee in his fire truck.

But moments later, the water's force tossed his vehicle aside like a toy. Mr McGuire and son Zac, aged seven, survived. Wife Llync-Chiann, son Gary, 12, and daughter Jocelyn, 5, perished.

Yesterday Mr McGuire revealed he would forever be tortured by the dilemma forced upon him: "Why didn't I just leave them inside?"

He said: "I'd already spent 72 hours on the relief effort when I learnt the floods were coming up again. I saw this wall of water heading our way.

"We were all in the truck. We got halfway out of the drive when it hit. It went over the truck and spun it around.

"I threw Zac out onto a tree and then got sucked out. Never saw the truck again after that. The family, the truck, gone."

As the floods raged towards him, Mr McGuire said that was the "last scenario" he wanted his family to be caught in.

"We were definitely not staying in the house. The only option in my mind was to round everyone up, get in the truck and go. It was the safest option.

"Had it been fire, I would have known what to do ... but water, you just can't predict it."

Mr McGuire said in the 12 days that have followed, he still hasn't mustered the necessary courage to tell Zac - father to son - that his mum, brother and sister had all drowned.

"Friday was the day I'd geared myself up to telling him. A counsellor was due to arrive and help me. Only they ended up sending a counsellor for me, not for him."

Then, several hours later, Zac provided the first indication that he had processed the awful truth himself.

"He was playing with a little girl and he had one of his mum's bracelets on. The girl asked him about the bracelet and he said "mummy's gone". It was the first time he'd spoken about it. I've asked since if he wants to discuss it but he said no. I'm going to give it another proper go before he returns to school on Monday - which is what I think he needs."

Like Mr McGuire, the people of Grantham are slowly piecing together their broken lives.

In the past few days, they have started returning to the town to see what remains of their homes. Picking among the debris, some have managed to salvage a treasured possession or two and share their stories with The Sun-Herald.

A pet chook, mud-streaked wedding dress or a sodden wallet may not seem like much, but for people who have lost everything it's enough to provide some small comfort.

As far as 14-year-old Katherine Godley is concerned, no flood story surpasses the survival tale of her beloved pet rooster Steven. With her parents on an interstate trip when the floods struck, Katherine and brother Michael, 22, were forced to fend for themselves.

Water engulfed their home, sending them clambering to the top level of the house. Katherine said when she scanned the garden below for her family of pet roosters and hens, she could see "nothing except floods".

When she returned, Steven was alive and crowing. Hugging her feathery companion, she said: "I don't know how - but two hens and two roosters survived. I was very happy that Steven was one because he is my favourite. He's my boy."

Linda Godley's own flood miracle story was finding her wedding dress, hand-sewn for her marriage to Garry 23 years ago.

When the "archaeological excavation", as she describes it, began at their Grantham home last week, she was prepared to dig around the clock until she found it.

"I found it, eventually, laying in a room filled with water and mud. Let's be realistic, it's probably ruined but I don't care," Mrs Godley said.

"There are a thousand photographs of the day out there among family and friends but there's only ever one wedding dress. I'll hit it with the Napisan and soak it for a year if I have to. I know nobody will ever be able to wear it ... it's just something I always wanted to keep."

Mrs Godley added: "We found a glass piggy-bank and a chandelier of all things buried deep beneath the mud in the back garden. My husband is still digging in the hope of finding his John Wayne video collection - which is one thing that will hopefully remain lost."

Ken Adams, 75, was digging through mud in his own living room last week to try to recover his false teeth. He didn't find them, but was happy to retrieve his wallet.

Mr Adams said in no time, the murky water had risen up to his chin. "I looked out through one of the windows and noticed the water was lower outside than inside. I thought there's something bloody wrong here. I got round to the windows and opened them. The water then started to go down which relieved us no end."

When Mr Adams, his wife Jill and daughter Angela returned home, 20-centimetre-deep layer of mud had set on the floor. And somewhere among it is Mr Adams' teeth. "I knew they were here somewhere so I started digging. I haven't found them yet but I tell you what, I did find my wallet. I was happy with that."

Deb Schmitt, 48, and Tony Moore, 49, summed up the mood of many in Grantham by drawing hope from token belongings that somehow survived the carnage.

"We sifted through the mud, looking for something, anything," Ms Schmitt said. It was then I found the bag. Dad's old darts trophies, mum's old dinner set, it was all intact. For me, it changed everything. It really lifted my spirit."

But of all the stories of Grantham residents reunited with treasures, Zac McGuire's is the most poignant. Mr McGuire's surviving son wandered into the Veterinary Medical Centre at Gatton last week hoping to find his beloved dogs Diesel and Carmen.

Veterinary student Genevieve Payne said: "I knew this boy had pretty much lost everything. I thought that maybe we had one of his dogs but I didn't realise we actually had the other in an adjoining kennel."

Zac slowly wandered through the pens in search of his lost friends then suddenly shouted: "Look, there's Carmen."

"To see the smile on that little boy's face when he recognised his dog was one of those truly wonderful moments," Ms Payne said.

Mr McGuire agrees. "To get the dogs back, after everything, has been a relief to me. But for Zac, I don't think you can put it into words. It has given him a huge lift at a time when he needs it most."

How the states are faring as rivers keep rising

QUEENSLAND

The bush town of St George is bracing for its second flood peak in a fortnight.

Thousands more volunteers have participated in the second weekend of the Brisbane clean-up.

Federal government is calling on insurance companies to adopt standard definition of "flood".

VICTORIA

Four north-western towns - Lake Charm, Mystic Park, Bael Bael and Fairley - told to evacuate.

SES warns floodwater at Kerang could be at a high level for another two weeks.

Up to 20 more homes under threat of being flooded at Jeparit on the Wimmera River.

NSW

Ten more councils declared natural disaster areas: Central Darling, Cobar, Conargo, Hay, Jerilderie, Junee, Murray, Lachlan and Berrigan shires.

TASMANIA

Farmers and small business owners affected are able to access grants of up to $25,000.

DEATH TOLL

Twenty-two people have died in the flood crisis around the country: 20 people in Queensland (including 16 in the Lockyer Valley) and one each in NSW and Victoria.

HOW TO DONATE

Visit www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html,

phone 1800 219 028 or at most major banks

and Australia Post.