Kooweerup’s Arthur Slark thanked the local council and Red Cross for making him feel at ease at the evacuation centre in Pakenham. By Lia Bichel
PAULINE O’Brien grabbed only the essentials when evacuating her home on Saturday night – her medical history, financial papers and two pairs of shoes.
“I had 20 minutes to evacuate,” Mrs O’Brien said. “When I got here, I noticed I packed two pairs of shoes. Why would I need two pairs of shoes?”
The 91-year-old Koo-weerup resident was one of about 30 folk evacuated to the Cardinia Cultural Centre in Pakenham as the rising Bunyip River threatened their homes.
Mrs O’Brien said she had never seen so much water in her 34 years living in Kooweerup.
“I am 91, so I have lived through a lot of trauma,” she said. “But there was a lot of water outside. The gutters were full of water and the drains were overflowing. Naturally, I was very anxious.”
Mrs O’Brien said she was pleased with three young men from the SES, who helped her leave her home, and said she had a comfortable sleep at the Cultural Centre.
Eighty-seven-year-old Arthur Slark was another Kooweerup resident who spent the night at the Pakenham evacuation centre.
Mr Slark lived in Kooweerup when floods rushed through the town in 1934. His experience prepared him for the floods 76 years later. “I wasn’t too worried,” he said. “The police told us to leave, so I put on my coat and my slippers and left.”
Mr Slark thanked the Cardinia Council and Red Cross for making him feel at ease.
“It was very good,” he said. “Everyone was very friendly and they supplied us with whatever we needed.”
Mal also spent the night at the Pakenham shelter with his wife and said they were “treated like royalty.”
“We just want to extend our thanks to everyone who helped us, and the way everything was handled, right from the first phone call,” he said. “I have never had a phone call like that, it was quite stressful.”
Most people left the Pakenham evacuation centre by 2pm on Sunday.
Two relief centres were established at the Cardinia Cultural Centre and Cranbourne Indoor Sports Centre.
Pakenham police Inspector Wayne Viney said more than 200 people were accommodated overnight in the centres and more than 100 others registered as evacuated.
The centres were managed by the police but established in co-operation with Cardinia Shire Council and the City of Casey. The Red Cross conducted the registration and provided food and blow-up mattresses.
Resources from across the state were sent to assist, including the Operations Response Unit, Water Police, Air Wing and the army, which provided two Unimogs (big trucks) and staff.
