Beyond the Deluge
Evelyn Hardy and Mick Mardo · 56 min
Two years after the worst flood in 70 years swallowed the village of Broke, the people who held the community together reveal what it truly cost them — and why they're not going anywhere.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
In July 2022, the worst flood in 70 years swallowed the village of Broke. When floodwaters finally receded enough to reach Broke Hall, the RFS captain asked Mick Mardo to run the emergency operations centre. He said yes without hesitation. What he found was one whiteboard and the realisation that the disaster stretched across towns from Paynes Crossing to Bulga. A job loss at 17 had sent Mick into the Army at that same age. He spent 22 years in regular service, then 10 in the reserves, mostly in logistics. A tour to Namibia with the United Nations showed him what mattered. By the time floodwaters hit Broke, that training had prepared him to manage people, track what needed doing, and keep operations running when everything else was breaking.
The first priority was water. Floodwaters had torn out the main supply line, leaving the community with nothing to drink. Mick coordinated getting water back, along with everything else: septic cleanouts, eroded foundations, rubbished roads. He ran a supply shop where people could grab toilet paper, food, toiletries, and a moment of human contact. More than that, he held regular town meetings to tell people what was happening and what came next. That clarity did something people needed. By the second meeting, he was getting no questions. People felt less alone.
Two years later, rain still triggers something in Mick. He names it and moves through it rather than letting it stop him. He knows now that family is the foundation he has to keep coming back to, even when other projects pull his attention away. And he knows something else about the world: the simple ethic of helping neighbours has slipped away, and bringing it back might be the thing that matters most.
Every story here belongs to the person who lived it. They said yes to sharing it, and we sat with it carefully before it went up. Nothing here is exaggerated and nothing is used without permission. Read how we handle these stories ↗
Kintsugi Heroes · Registered Australian not-for-profit · kintsugiheroes.com.au ↗