Annie Cossins · 46 min
When the July 2022 floods cut Wollombi off from the world, one volunteer firefighter and her RFS brigade became the entire recovery system for forty flood-ravaged homes, armed with hoses, compassion, and the conviction that clearing mud is the first step back from trauma.
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On 6 July 2022, the worst flood in 70 years hit Broke and the Hunter Valley. When water cut Wollombi off from the outside world, Annie Cossins and her local RFS brigade became the only cleanup crew for forty flooded homes and structures. Annie had lived on her rural property for 24 years and served 12 years in the RFS, but flood recovery work was new. What she found was houses turned inside out by floodwater, everything tossed to the centre of the room, and inches of mud caked on every surface, including the walls. Without help, most homeowners had no way to start recovery.
Annie and her crew worked alongside young Defence Force personnel stationed at Singleton, spending hours hosing out mud and removing destroyed furniture, appliances, and sodden carpets. This work was physically hard and emotionally confronting, but Annie held both things at once: she got on with the job while staying present to people's grief and fear. Clearing the mud was never the point itself. It was the first step that let people see a pathway forward, permission to believe recovery was possible, even though it would take months or a year or more.
Annie reflects on what the floods taught her about human nature. When disaster strikes, people's instinct is to rebuild and reconnect. If volunteers show up to help, people respond with gratitude and determination. She worries about her community's future as landholders age out and younger people cannot afford rural land prices. She also faces the knowledge that disasters are becoming more frequent. Her advice to others is practical: store fuel and food for three weeks, invest in battery backup power, and if you live on the floodplain, make the harder choice to move to higher ground.
“We started calling ourselves the Rural Flood Service because we ended up cleaning out about 40 structures — houses and sheds.”
“Floods, you know, they enter at full volume and when they leave everything just drops.”
“If people can't get rid of the mud there's no starting point for them — and they just don't have the hoses and the pumps and the power that we have to do that.”
The hero, today
When floodwater enters a house, it tosses everything into the middle of the room, and the inches of mud left behind are so thick that people cannot start recovery without help to remove it. Getting rid of the mud and the destroyed furniture and appliances is the first step that allows people to see there is a pathway out of the trauma, even though full recovery can take a year or more. People naturally want to pick up the pieces and get back to their normal lives, and if someone is there to help them along the way, that is what humans do. The best preparation for the next disaster includes a reliable generator, enough fuel and food to last three weeks, battery storage if you are on the grid, and for those on the floodplain, the honest decision about whether to stay or move to higher ground. When a disaster happens, people set aside their egos and work as a team, and the most difficult part is not the physical work but finding a way to come down afterward by talking to someone on the same wavelength.
Yes. Annie Cossins is a real person who shared their own story in their own words. Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit that shares first-person stories of overcoming adversity, told with the person's consent.
Kintsugi Heroes, a registered Australian not-for-profit. Every story is shared with the hero's own consent and reviewed under Kintsugi Heroes' trauma-informed content standard before it goes public.
When floodwater enters a house, it tosses everything into the middle of the room, and the inches of mud left behind are so thick that people cannot start recovery without help to remove it.
Getting rid of the mud and the destroyed furniture and appliances is the first step that allows people to see there is a pathway out of the trauma, even though full recovery can take a year or more.
People naturally want to pick up the pieces and get back to their normal lives, and if someone is there to help them along the way, that is what humans do.
The best preparation for the next disaster includes a reliable generator, enough fuel and food to last three weeks, battery storage if you are on the grid, and for those on the floodplain, the honest decision about whether to stay or move to higher ground.
John Milham (Host) · 00:00
Kintsugi Heroes brings you the following flood resilience stories in partnership with Singleton Neighbourhood Centre and grant funding from the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network. To find out more about this podcast, head to kintsugiheroes.com.au.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 00:24
On July 6th, 2022, the worst flood in 70 years hit the town of Broke and the surrounding Hunter Valley region. The The community is still recovering from the trauma the floods brought, destroying their homes and their livelihoods. In this special limited series of Kintsugi Heroes, John Millum sits down with the community who suffered as a result of the floods and gives them space to share their adversity, resilience, and compassion. It's only through connection and empathy that there can be a path to recovery. These are stories of trauma and can be confronting. If you find they have a triggering effect, please reach out to someone who can help keep you safe. Listen in as John takes you beyond the deluge with Kintsugi Heroes.
John Milham (Host) · 01:13
So listeners, welcome back to Kintsugi Heroes. And today again, we're talking about, in our Stories That Matter series, we're talking with people who have been a part of the Hunter Valley floods of 2022. And today We're very pleased to introduce Annie Cousins. So Annie, welcome to Kansuki Heroes and Stories of the Flood. And of course, you don't not only live in Wallumbi, but you're a part of the Wallumbi RFS, which played a big role in the floods. And I'd like to maybe start by letting you introduce yourself to the listeners and tell us a bit about yourself and your history with Wallumbi.
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This conversation includes the worst flood in 70 years, living on a rural property for 24 years, forty structures, mud to the ceiling, working alongside the defence force, impact spreads across the whole community and switching off is not the same as not caring.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 01:59
Yeah, sure. So my name's Annie Cossens. I've lived in Wollongong for 5 years full-time, although I've had a property here for 24 years. Part of owning a rural property is dealing with the two kind of dangers for us, fire and flood. Certainly when I joined the RFS 12 years ago, I didn't imagined that part of our work would be flood work. So in 2022, I mean, my house wasn't affected at all. I mean, things like roads get affected and your kind of external infrastructure, if you like, but a lot of us, well, most of us were flooded in, as in we couldn't drive out anywhere because Wallumbi during the major flood, which happened, I think, July, August. I can't remember the exact date. I'd have to—
John Milham (Host) · 02:58
6th of July. Yeah, 6th of July it was. Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 03:01
So during that major flood, when it was the second highest recorded level of the Wallumbi Brook, I think it was 14.3 meters, everything on the floodplain was affected. So unfortunately, I guess, you know, the Wallumbi Pub, which is an iconic part of our village, plus all the houses along, alongside the brook. And people love building there because it's picturesque. They went under. So because we were surrounded, there was no way in or out. The SES couldn't get to us, the Wallumbi Brigade. We became the flood clean-out group, if you like. We started calling ourselves the Rural Flood Service because we ended up cleaning out about 40 structures, houses and sheds.
John Milham (Host) · 03:59
Wow.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 04:00
The pub, of course. So it's, I have to say, it's very confronting work. Floods, when they, you know, when floodwaters enter a house, they just— the violence of the water or the power of the water, it just tips everything on its head. So I can remember walking into places where all the couches, the refrigerators, everything had just been tossed into the middle of the room. So the flood floods, you know, they enter it at full volume and when they leave, Everything just drops.
John Milham (Host) · 04:40
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 04:40
Wow. And, and, and the amount of mud, it's something that flood victims always talk about, the inches, not just millimeters, the inches of mud that's left behind, which of course has got probably all sorts of bacteria in it. So our job was to remove all the furniture, the, the sodden carpets, uh, everything that, that we could. And we, um, we would just spend hours and hours hosing out the mud. So yeah, it was hard work, physically very hard. Um, we got a lot of help from the Defence Force in Wollongong, young men who were stationed at Singleton. Most of them had only recently joined the Defence Forces. And they were great to work with, very willing, capable. So yeah, we ended up, um, just kind of being a great team together in that regard.
John Milham (Host) · 05:41
Yeah. So like, it, it's interesting you talk about the, uh, Rural Flood Service. Um, of course, you know, fires are a, a, a big challenge for that area. Um, and in, you know, in 2019, you know, a massive, um, impact from that experience. So, you know, did you, were you, did you focus on fires? Was that your brief? I know you train and, and do back burning and so on, or do you actually have a, like an emergency services, you know, sort of focus?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 06:12
When we train, we train to be bush firefighters. That's our job. And, and then we can do further training to become village firefighters. So, So we do a range of things, bushfires, structure fires, vehicle fires, any type of vehicle we could come across. So that happens a lot around where I am, the occasional structure fire. Quite a lot of vehicles crash around here, mostly they're tourists.
John Milham (Host) · 06:42
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 06:43
During 2019, you know, we got the— it was the biggest campaign fire around Wallumbi ever in our history because we was surrounded by 4 fires at one stage. And it's only recently that we've started to engage in what's known as flood rescue work. So the RFS has sent out to each brigade a flood, a series of flood rescue kits. We're not like the SES, we don't Yeah, necessarily we won't necessarily be trained to do swift water rescue. We might, that's sort of on the cards, but at the moment we do have the equipment to do rescues, um, while we're on land and someone, you know, is trapped, um, in water. So we've got the capacity to do that. Some brigades will be issued with a flood boat We still don't know if we're going to get one of those, but I know certain brigades have been selected for a flood boat. Wow.
John Milham (Host) · 07:50
So, and that obviously responding to needs. It was interesting because you mentioned your place wasn't impacted by the water as such. And that's 'cause you live on the hill. I like how, you know, like some people are on the hill and some people by the river, by the brook. But of course everyone in the community is impacted. Hmm.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 08:11
Yeah, people are impacted in different ways. So I know the people who live on Paynes Crossing Road, which is the road that leads to, to Broke, they were impacted for a very long period of time because they're often flooded in for around 3 weeks. I've got friends who live in Bucketty, which is a little area south of Wallumbi, and I had friends who Well, they had no electricity because the electricity had been cut off. Um, I'm lucky I've got my own storage capacity at my place, so I don't lose electricity if, if the, you know, uh, general infrastructure goes down. So they had no electricity. They had a generator, but they'd run out of, um, petrol or fuel for the generator. So It's hard living, you know, you've got no electricity, you've got no lighting, you can't access water because all of us around here, we, we are on tank water, so we're dependent on, on electrical pumps to pump water from our tanks into our kitchens and bathrooms. So life can get a bit basic when you don't have electricity and you can't access access water. And, and then of course people can't be contacted because, um, the, the phone lines are down and they can't charge their mobile phones. So things do get a bit compounded. I think after that experience, people, you know, people have rethought some of their, um, you know, what they need to do for the future, like maybe get a better generator or, or stock up on fuel or, or get battery power so they've got power when the grid goes down.
John Milham (Host) · 10:01
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of lessons learned. It's interesting you talked about the process of clearing up. The RFS was, you know, engaged for a long period of time cleaning through those structures and so on. That was— sounds terribly challenging work. How did you go with both the emotional and the physical tax?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 10:24
Look, I think I'm an experienced firefighter, I'm a Deputy Captain. There's— it's not that one, you learn to switch off. I mean, I used to do, you know, very confronting work in my day job as well, so I just get on with the job. That's what we do. We're trained to get on with the job. At the same time though, I do retain the capacity to see a homeowner's distress, so not everyone does this, it depends on who you are, but I'm happy to give people a hug if that's what they need. I had a homeowner who sort of was in tears all the days we were at her house, and that's fine for me. I don't feel— I'm not confronted by people's pain or their emotions. It's just part of the job. You do what you can We always consulted with people, "What do you want us to do? What do you want us to save?" So we're very respectful because we can see, you know, the disaster. It is confronting. The disaster of a flooded house is— it's really shocking because we all go back to our houses and think, "My God, that could have happened to us." And it's the same with fires as well. My experience in the RFS is that certainly the people I work with, we're efficient. We don't, you know, we, we get on with the job. We know what to do. We're compassionate and we just know we are there for the right reasons. 'Cause if we weren't there, who was going to do it? See, when someone is faced with a flooded house, if they can't get rid of the mud, the inches of mud, And sometimes the mud goes right up to the walls. And, and I can remember a bathroom that I walked into and everything was caked in mud, everything. And if people can't get rid of the mud, that there's no starting point for them. And, and they just don't have the, the kind of hoses and the, the pumps and the power that we have to do that. So getting rid of the mud, getting everything out that's been destroyed, like couches and TVs and refrigerators. Getting all that stuff out is a big help for them because it's very hard on your own or just two people to be lifting big fridges and couches. And, you know, we've got lots of strong people who can do that. And then to get rid of the mud, then they can decide what to do, whether they have to, um, re-jiprock the, the house, um, And it also allows everything to dry out. So maybe they can, they, they can go to a neighbor or they can live upstairs for a period of time while downstairs dries out. We can pull out the kitchen. We, we do it all. We'll, you know, pull out whatever they want so they can then start from scratch, as it were.
John Milham (Host) · 13:23
Amazing. So, and of course the RFS is embedded in the community, right? You are members of that community.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 13:30
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 13:30
And yet when, you know, a situation happens, how did you find, like, obviously people look towards organizations like the RFS to help them. And then there's a lot of emotion in that. How did you find that? You know, what were the expectations you encountered and what was the reaction to your assistance?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 13:50
Oh, everyone was just grateful that there was, you know, there was certainly Yes, there were tears, but everyone was just super grateful that we were there because if we weren't there, who was going to do the job? I mean, yeah, yeah. As far as I know, governments don't have employed staff to come and sort out, um, a flooded house or flooded structures or, you know, the, the RFS and the SES are really important services. It would cost— sometimes we think about it, it would cost the state government millions of dollars to employ the number of people that volunteer for the SES and the RFS.
John Milham (Host) · 14:36
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 14:37
So people are very grateful, and I don't mind the hard work. It is physically hard work. It can be very confronting work. I don't know, that's just— that's the job. That's what I personally signed up for.
John Milham (Host) · 14:52
Uh, which is, you know, uh, a wonderful commitment. It is quite a large commitment into doing that, but it pays dividends when you're available for the, for the community.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 15:01
Yeah, that's right. And we get a sense of, um, achievement. It, it is a human need perhaps to help others.
John Milham (Host) · 15:11
Mm-hmm.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 15:11
And we get a great sense of, well, you know, it, it's a disaster for that particular family, but We've helped them take the first step to recovery.
John Milham (Host) · 15:21
Yeah. And you talk about taking the first step. What were you seeing in, you know, the people's, first of all, the tragedy of the event and then, you know, the need to start again.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 15:33
Oh, a lot of people just don't know what to do and, and, um, they don't know where to start because they're so emotionally impacted. They're fretting and they're anxious. And they're, they're still recovering from the trauma of, of, um, perhaps being in the house when it was flooded and, and wondering if they were going to survive. So they're dealing with a lot of trauma. We can come in, help— not so much help them with the trauma because we're not psychologists, but we can help restore to some extent normality. Um, or take the first steps towards normality. And that then allows them psychologically to see that there is a pathway out of the trauma. That, that's the way I see it anyway.
John Milham (Host) · 16:22
Yeah, that's a, that's a great perspective. Did, did you see that in action in your, you know, when you were doing it? Did you see people, you know, start the process?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 16:33
Yeah, absolutely. You know, if a, if a homeowner could, they would work alongside us. And, um, we'd go back the next day and we could see, um, how much we'd already done and how much more that they might have done overnight. And then they would have other, you know, chores for us to, to, to deal with. But yeah, it— look, it does take months. It can take, um, a year or more for people to get back to the situation they were in before the flood.
John Milham (Host) · 17:06
Mm.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 17:07
But it's, it's creating that pathway for them. And then, then they can get in, you know, the, the builders and the carpenters or, or, or the kitchen designers or whoever to, um, fix the place up, maybe redo the flooring, put in a new kitchen, that kind of, kind of stuff. Yeah. Um, I know one couple who actually had to move their house and, and they've managed to do that. So, wow, their recovery has been sort of like a 2-year process. But if they didn't move the house, it would, it would end up being flooded again at some point. It can be a very expensive process because, um, most of the people we helped out weren't insured because they were on the floodplain.
John Milham (Host) · 17:51
Wow. My goodness, that's another, you know, traumatic experience on top of the physical one.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 17:58
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 17:58
So that, so the community's carrying a lot of that, you know, a lot of members had, you know, the actual trauma of experience, as you said, you know, potentially at risk of their lives, right? And then, you know, everybody is sharing in, you know, the sort of economic impact and the social impact of that. What do you think, how do you think the community has coped?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 18:23
Oh, look, often you'll hear politicians say, look, we're a very resilient community. I just think people naturally are. I think it doesn't matter where you go, people are resilient because— and that resilience will vary from person to person, household to household, but everyone wants to pick up the pieces and get back to their normal lives. It seems to be a natural human instinct. I I just see that over and over again. There, there is naturally, I think, a period where people emotionally fall apart. Mm-hmm. But then they gradually get it together, as it were, and they, they start rebuilding in whatever small way they can. I, I just think that's what humans do.
John Milham (Host) · 19:11
Oh, that's a really positive way to look at us.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 19:13
Yeah. And, and if, if there's someone to help another person along the way, isn't that what we do as humans? I think that's the whole point of having voluntary organizations, like why do people volunteer hours and hours and hours of their, of their time for free?
John Milham (Host) · 19:30
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 19:31
So it has to be this human instinct to assist, to help. And I suppose if you help others, then, then you are helping your own community as well. Um, the, the thing that you are, you are fundamentally a part of.
John Milham (Host) · 19:48
So now, um, that, you know, like as you say, people are still going through and still focusing on recovering. What, um, imagine, you know, that you were given a warning now and somebody came to you and said, okay, Annie, what do we need to do in preparation? What would you now do?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 20:08
Oh, in terms of giving them advice? Well, I guess it depends where they live. So if they, If around Wallumbi they're on the floodplain and there are people who still live in the houses that were flooded, so they know that they're vulnerable again. Yeah. What would you say in terms of preparation? I think the best thing would be if they're going to continue to live on the floodplain, they need to leave for their own safety before another flood happens. Certainly for people whose houses weren't affected but they were flooded in, they really just need to have the equipment, and that's a monetary outlay. So, you know, I had to outlay a lot of money to get storage batteries. I'm on the grid, but once the grid goes down, I now have battery storage so I can run my own electrical system, if you like. I would certainly recommend that. I would recommend, and we, most of us do this anyway, having the sorts of things in your pantry, um, that, that allow you to wait for maybe 3 weeks. If, if the electricity goes and everything in the fridge and the freezer will not be edible after a certain period of time. So yeah, that there has to be, um, thought about that and have lots of fuel if, if you're going to be dependent on generators. I know some people used their generators just for a few hours each day to keep the fridges running, and then overnight the fridge would be cold enough to keep, you know, their food cold, and then they would run it again in the morning. So yeah, good generators, lots of fuel, lots of food, and think about moving out of the floodplain. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 22:00
And of course, that, you know, that's you know, tremendous, you know, practical advice. What about, you know, is there a way to prepare for the trauma, like the psychosocial emotional impact?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 22:12
Mm, probably not, because, well, do people get used to it? I don't know. I know there are people who've been flooded time and time again, and they still live where they are. So I expect that up to a certain point they might be used to what's going to happen. Um, I still think it's traumatic though. Yeah. I do know of a family who just claimed they didn't want our help. They, they'd been flooded several times before. They knew exactly how to clean up. They had children, um, and a large extended family to help them out. So they just are prepared to do it. They're prepared to live where they live.
John Milham (Host) · 22:57
Mm.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 22:58
And when the floods come, they'll just clean up once again. So, wow. There is, there is that attitude as well. And some people can't afford to move. No. Um, that's one of our problems too. So unless there's a government buyback scheme, mm, some people are destined to experience floods into the future, I guess.
John Milham (Host) · 23:20
Yeah. Wow. Uh, what about the community? What do you think the community can do, uh, to prepare for things in the future as a result of the lessons learned?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 23:29
Well, around our community at the moment, there is, um, funding. I'm not sure how, how it happened, but funding was obtained to create a network of, um, UHF radios so that people could still have communication in the event that their landlines died and they weren't able to charge their mobile phones. So that's certainly a good outcome around here. I'm not sure how many people are involved in it, but that is a, you know, if other communities are trying to think about, well, how can they help each other? How can they find out if, you know, the, the elderly lady or or gentlemen who, who live on their own, whether they're going to be okay. That's certainly a great initiative. And I, I know it was government money that was obtained, but I'm, and it was called the MEPCC scheme, but that's all I know about it because I haven't, um, been involved in administering it.
John Milham (Host) · 24:31
Hmm.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 24:32
But I certainly know the network works, that people do check up on each other. So once a week they all have a time where they call in It's something that can be used throughout the year for, e.g., medical emergencies or any particular emergency, not just fire and flood.
John Milham (Host) · 24:49
That was a great initiative. What about the viability of the community? Like, Wollombi has been around a long time and it's very, very small but very iconic, right? It survives on tourism and as well as local industry. What do you think the future of Wollombi and the area and the broke and the surrounding area is?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 25:09
Yeah, that's an interesting question because a lot of us are, you know, we're in our senior years, so to speak. A lot of landholders around here are in their 60s and over.
John Milham (Host) · 25:21
Mm-hmm.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 25:21
And one day we are not going to be around. Unfortunately, land prices around here escalated during COVID So Younger people, it's very hard for younger people to move in unless they inherit, uh, their parents' property around here. So younger people really can't buy in just, you know, with, with, with an ordinary income. So yeah, that is a problem, I think, where it's a great community to live in, but it's limited in, in the sense that we have to travel a long way to get you know, medical, you know, just go to a doctor, let, let alone a hospital. So there are limit— there's always limitations about living in rural areas.
John Milham (Host) · 26:10
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 26:11
And you have to really love it out here to accept those limitations. What will happen once, say, the next 20 years when, when a lot of land owners here will either be nursing homes or or possibly in the grave, and I think about that myself. I don't know who will buy these properties, given that they're not particularly cheap. So it's, yeah, it's a question that we talk about, but we don't really have any answers. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 26:44
Interesting perspective. Of course, you know, if the absentee landowners and so on are there, who's going to, you know, run the RFS and SES and Local organizations.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 26:56
Yeah. That's right. Yes. We, we need younger people to, to join and the occasional young, younger person does join, but, uh, we need more. I'm not thinking about it at the moment, but yes, it is a, uh, an issue we're aware of.
John Milham (Host) · 27:15
12 years in the RFS, obviously you love it. Is it a case of you doing something you love? Or something you need to do?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 27:23
Oh no, no, I definitely enjoy it. Yeah, I enjoy the camaraderie, the teamwork, the connections with other people. Yeah, there's a lot of, um, interesting stuff you can do in the RFS. So I, I do more than just firefighting, um, so I'm involved in, in a number of other ways as well. Yeah, some people are happy just to turn up to the odd fire call Other people get more involved. It's just, um, it's up to the individual really. Hmm.
John Milham (Host) · 27:55
What do you— what's the best thing about living in the area you live in?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 27:59
Oh, the peace and quiet. After living in Sydney for nearly 40 years, the noise of Sydney, huh, unbelievable. It's just the noise that is an underlying stress that never goes away. Whereas where I am, I'm just looking out my door at the moment. I've got incredible views. It's all green. It's incredibly quiet. It's just a form. It's paradise out here.
John Milham (Host) · 28:27
Hmm.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 28:28
It's, it's, if people have got anxiety or stress problems, come to the country because it all just dissolves away. Life is spent. You, I mean, life is much more. About the weather and, and the environment. And yeah, the difficulties associated with that, but it's also much, much more rewarding than living in a city. That's my view anyway. I know some city folk wouldn't be able to cope with that though.
John Milham (Host) · 29:01
No, no. But you paint a wonderful picture. I feel, you know, desperately sad that I'm not there. Right. But it's an interesting, so say if I gave you an unlimited budget and said, Annie, you are in charge of improving the area all the way through to, you know, the area that was all impacted. And you can do anything that you think will, you know, make it safe and easily manage the challenges of the future around, say, you know, natural disasters and impacts. What do you think you would do with that money? What would be the most important and even, you know, less important things if you had an unlimited budget?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 29:48
I'd certainly think about the state of the roads because one of the big issues for isolated valleys that were flooded was they lost their roads and we don't have bitumen roads. You know, the main road through to Cessnock is bitumen, but We all, most of us live on gravel roads, which are an absolute disaster to negotiate during floods. Some people have their whole roads washed away, which is terribly dangerous. And, and that's an expense that they have to fork out unless it's a council road. So I'm lucky I live on a dirt road, but it's a council road, so the Council repaired it. So I would certainly improve the roads. I'd love to see my road a bitumen road and other roads a bitumen road. It's not to say they don't get ruined as well, but they're usually much more passable than a gravel road. I'd probably have a whole lot more people, have a whole lot of rescue boats out here. That's one thing that we probably could have done if we'd had, um, boats and people trained to deal with those boats in floodwaters, we could have helped a lot more people a lot sooner.
John Milham (Host) · 31:10
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 31:11
In terms of access to just food and medication, things like that. So that would be one thing. And I would— people on the floodplain, I'd offer them money to buy back their houses if that was the thing keeping them on the floodplain. So that they could go elsewhere if they chose to. Because I don't think living there and constantly worrying about the next flood is good for people and it does make them much more vulnerable. And some of the crossings that we have over our creeks, I get flooded in because the creek that runs beside my road, there's a causeway. So the road actually crosses the creek, but it's a causeway, not a bridge. So we could really do a whole lot more more with it, with repairing bridges and making sure bridges are high enough. Yeah. So that, um, they're not flooded. So a lot of bridges around here were flooded. I don't know how high is high enough, but certainly better than, than, than what I've got at the moment. Yeah. So there's a lot of stuff we could do. I think we could give everyone a UHF radio for free, for example. Yeah, everyone who lived in the area. And we, we could certainly give more money to the RFS and the SES in terms of their equipment for dealing with floods, because we've, we've just got the basic at the moment, and, and that's good, but I'm sure we could get more sophisticated stuff.
John Milham (Host) · 32:44
Well, sounds like a, uh, a good budget. Good luck in getting hold of some.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 32:49
Get it?
John Milham (Host) · 32:49
Yeah, yeah. No, yeah. And maybe back, like you responded, obviously slotted into, you know, into trained mode and helped these people. What did you see that inspired you?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 33:05
Oh, the teamwork. The teamwork between the RFS and the chaps from the Army. They were just very willing. They were incredibly respectful, particularly of, um, when there was a woman in charge, and I was the only woman in charge at the time. Um, there was a great willingness on the part of the community as well that was inspirational. So a lot of people came out and helped the pub owners or the former pub owners, um, clean out the pub to try and get that back up and running. I think, yeah, there was probably less community engagement with their neighbours, so to speak, but that might have been because they thought that we would end up doing the job. We certainly were able to do that just because of our equipment. I think it's definitely the teamwork. When disasters happen, people are very, very good at just working as a team and not worrying about their egos, if you like.
John Milham (Host) · 34:15
Yeah, it sounds wonderful. Um, and on the flip side, were there things that disappointed you?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 34:22
Oh, maybe a couple of homeowners. Yeah, at one place, but you know, I wasn't going to worry about that too much. Um, it was, yeah, that was the most difficult place we, we dealt with, but Yeah, I'm not going to say too much about that. Um, there's always going to be just, um, difficult people no matter what happens, whether you go shopping in Woolies or whether, whether, you know, it's a major disaster. I think it's important just to be able to put that aside and keep doing what you're doing. You know, humans are great And humans can be difficult as well, and you've just got to be able to deal with, with, um, both the good and the bad and not let that affect your work. So that's how I feel anyway. Just, I just do what I do and, um, and then I go home and, you know, talk to the cats and watch telly or something. So you've got to, you've got to find a way to, um, come down. From witnessing all that stuff.
John Milham (Host) · 35:32
Yes, that's right. So, and, um, you know, debriefing yourself. Do you get support and supervision? Have you dealt with that, you know, with assistance?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 35:42
The RFS has a, a phone line and, and people on the end of that phone line who are there 24 hours a day. Um, if we need, if, if we've attended a critical incident, so that support is there. I usually just talk to friends, myself, you know, other firefighters. It's always good sometimes, you know, black humour gets you through. You've got to be able to laugh some, I think, during a crisis just to help you keep going. And one of the advantages, of course, is just having a peaceful place to come home to without any you know, crazy stuff around, that's really what helps me. So I talk to friends. You've always got to talk to someone who's on the same wavelength as you, someone who's got enough empathy to, to hear what your particular trauma or sadness is. And there's certainly enough of them around for me.
John Milham (Host) · 36:43
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 36:43
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 36:45
Now, Wallumbi tends to be, you know, uh, has a very village attitude. Um, how do you feel about the other local communities? Are you connected? Is that useful? Like you shared so much experience.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 36:57
Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Yes. There's a, a lot of, um, local groups in, in Wollongong that do different things. I'm a part of a couple of others and I help out with, with, with some of them if they need it. And, um, yeah, there's a lovely there's a lovely community here. There's a lovely group of, um, of women that I'm a part of, and they're just nice, easygoing, fun people. It's, it is lovely. It's something you don't get in the city. Like I say, I lived there in Sydney for nearly 40 years, but you can live in the street for, for a couple of decades and still just be saying hello, hello to the neighbors and not really engaging. In much more than that. But here in Wollombi, everyone stops for a chat.
John Milham (Host) · 37:45
Yeah.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 37:45
It's a very different, um, state of mind. People want to connect in a village. Yeah, it's lovely.
John Milham (Host) · 37:54
Well, you've certainly, um, painted a wonderful picture of your environment, your community. And, uh, I, I'd like to acknowledge the, the effort. Like, I could not imagine how much effort was involved in cleaning out post-flood for these structures. So wonderful work, Annie, and you and the crew, and of course the RFS and SES does an amazing job in so many places. As you go forward, what would you like the RFS, and in particular your group, to be able to do or to have or to be seen as?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 38:34
We'd really like a flood boat and we might be getting one. I'm not sure. That would really, really assist us enormously in this community. Just like the east coast low we had the other day. I mean, who would've thought? Yeah. We weren't as bad, not nearly as badly affected as the Illawarra, Wollongong and some places in Sydney. But this is the problem. We don't know when the next East Coast Low is going to come. Yeah. And they, they are certainly much more frequent during autumn and, and winter. So yeah, that for our safety and the safety of the community. Yeah. I think a, a flood boat, flood boat would be great and we'll have to wait and see whether we get one.
John Milham (Host) · 39:22
Well, we'll put the vibe out there for sure. So, And it's interesting, you know, like, so 2019 was the worst fire in modern memory. And then, you know, this flood has been counted as the worst in modern memory. These things seem to be starting to roll on quite frequently. How do you, are you prepared to take it on? How do you, how are you facing that prospect?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 39:55
I just know, look, because I've had a property here for 24 years, I just know, I know what to expect. I'm, I don't panic about it. I'm not in a state of anxiety. I know how to protect my home from, from fire. You know, with a crew back in 2019, I saved my house at about 4 AM one morning.
John Milham (Host) · 40:16
Wow.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 40:17
I know what to do. A lot, um, the more people we can train about how to prepare their houses for the next, certainly, fire disaster, the better. And we do do that at Wallumbi Brigade. It's a really, it's a great brigade. We're very engaged with the community. We have a, we've had a philosophy for many years of trying to hold workshops to educate people about what to expect, have a bushfire plan, how to create a safe environment around their house, how to make their how safe and when to leave if that's what they choose to do and the dangers of staying. So we do that at Wallumbi. Of course, deep inside, I fear losing my home because I've seen houses lost. I think everyone around here has that fear in the back of their minds. And yet we still live here. So we are willing to take the risk, but we also know, and, and neighbors, friends, I, you know, will often say, look, look, your house is vulnerable. You could do X, Y, Z to make it less vulnerable. Because, you know, in our area we only have 8 fire trucks. So, and there's, you know, 300 to 400 properties out here. So it's easy to do the maths. So yeah, we will be there when we can, or if we can. That's, sorry, that's, um, one of my cats.
John Milham (Host) · 41:50
Um, yeah, no, his name, he's obviously got a strong opinion about fires.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 41:55
Oh yes.
John Milham (Host) · 41:56
And floods.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 41:56
He was very traumatized during the 2019 fires. Poor thing.
John Milham (Host) · 42:00
Of course, of course. That's an important element around here, isn't it?
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 42:03
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 42:04
With pets and livestock.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 42:06
Yes. No, he, he was very traumatized because this house was under threat. My whole property was burnt except my house. So yeah, kind of been there, done that. But I'm also aware that it could happen again. It's not that you become blasé, you just know, you become prepared. And so each year I do more and more to improve this property to make it bushfire safe. It's already flood safe, but I just think that's what people have to do. Some ignore the risk, but I think the best thing is be prepared. Be prepared, and if the worst happens, it happens, but that's all we can do as humans anywhere really, isn't it?
John Milham (Host) · 42:52
Yep, absolutely. Wow. And some really interesting— thank you for sharing that concern. I think that's a real issue, right? That, you know, like, and it's so much better talked about, I think.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 43:03
Yeah, it's better to have it out in the open, and we're always happy to go to people's places and give them advice, you know, about how bushfire safe their property is. You know, that's something we've done in the past. So it's, you know, people should use the— consult with the RFS more, I think, and say, look, would you be prepared to come out, look at, you know, my house, what it's made of, One thing that people regularly do is they store lots of stuff under the house, like timber, old building materials, firewood, those sorts of things. Yeah. And so we, we can say a lot about how to make it a house safer. It's no guarantee.
John Milham (Host) · 43:53
Yeah. Another description might be kindling, or even in flood, it, it'd end up being problematic. Yeah. With all of the toxic materials and so on.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 44:03
So, oh yes, it can be very difficult if the flood washes out under a house a whole lot of stuff, cuz then that is a hazard for anyone coming in to help with the cleanup.
John Milham (Host) · 44:18
Well, it's been fascinating. Thank you so much. And again, acknowledging you and your crew's effort to support the community. You know, I hear lots of amazing feedback about the work done. So congratulations, Annie, on all of that work. And thank you so much for the insight you've given us into both the community and the process of supporting it through the RFS. It's been wonderful.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 44:46
Thank you. Thanks for your interest, John.
John Milham (Host) · 44:49
No worries. All the best and talk soon. Thank you so much again, Annie Cousins.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 44:58
Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Beyond the Deluge about the 2022 floods in Broke and the Hunter Valley. If anything in this conversation has had a triggering effect, please seek support and find someone who can help keep you safe.
John Milham (Host) · 45:12
Please share the show to your friends, family, and colleagues so we can help more people with their recovery from natural disaster. If you'd To find out more about Kintsugi Heroes and our other podcasts, please head to kintsugiheroes.com.au. Our theme song was provided by Colin Lilly.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 45:29
Thanks to Matthew Bliss for editing and production, and to John Millum for hosting the conversations. And most of all, thank you to the community of Broke and the Hunter Valley for sharing their lived experience with us. We'll see you next week in Beyond the Deluge.
John Milham (Host) · 45:50
Only when it's broken. Only when it's broken. When it hits you in the middle of the night and the truth burns so bright. Only when it's broken. Only when it's broken. Take pride in those cries.
Annie Cossins (Guest) · 46:18
It's only for tonight, and then you rise. Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken. Only when you're broken.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
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