Stephanie Brookes · 54 min
When floodwaters threatened her adopted hometown, an Irish-born communications professional turned lived fear into clear, trusted information, proving that authentic storytelling can be the most powerful tool in a crisis.
Hear this story
When the River Murray began its slow, relentless rise in late 2022, Stephanie Brookes faced a choice that would reshape her sense of home. An Irish-born communications professional who had arrived in the Riverland just six months earlier to buy her first house, she found herself coordinating emergency communications for Renmark Paringa Council at a moment when South Australia had no playbook for a slow-rising flood. She knew her own house sat just outside the 1956 flood boundary. She knew what was at stake.
Stephanie's strategy was built on one principle: arm people with facts, and they will stop being scared. No flowery language, no false reassurance. Just clear, consistent updates about what the emergency team was actually doing. When a government agency placed flood markers incorrectly in town, triggering genuine terror in parents, she called it out directly, explained what happened, and rebuilt trust. She documented everything, partnered with local businesses and workers from Tonga and Fiji who volunteered to reinforce the levees, and made sure the community felt like collaborators in the response, not just passive recipients of information.
No households protected by the levee network were impacted. Stephanie's daughter was born during the drought that followed the flood. She is now pregnant again. Over twelve years, she has moved from Dublin to the driest corner of the driest continent, and found herself anchored here by something she never expected: a community that depends on its neighbours to survive, and a river that both threatens and holds everything you love. She is, by her own reckoning, a true Riverlander now.
“I'm one of those people that I feel that if you were to give me information, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad. If you arm me with the information, I'm then able to make a judgment call and I'm not going to get scared because you give me all the facts. So that's what I tried to relay and do for the community.”
“I live here. I'm a community member. I backed what our team were doing and I feel that that confidence came through in our communications.”
“We are a river community. We are resilient. So that I may not have been born here, but I am a community member here and people who live here are very passionate and dedicated to this community. We would we we'd make it work.”
The hero, today
When you arm people with the facts, good or bad, they can make their own judgment calls and they don't get scared, which is what Stephanie tried to do for her community throughout the flood. Clear, consistent, authentic communication without flowery language builds genuine trust with a community facing crisis and helps them feel secure enough to make their own decisions. Stephanie had the chance to work with people who gave everything because they felt it in themselves to make things happen, and that level of leadership and team trust made the difference in what the community achieved. No households protected by the levee network were impacted by floodwaters during the 2022-2023 floods, an outcome Stephanie is deeply proud of as part of the emergency response team. Living in a small regional community means you have to rely on your neighbours, and that dependence creates the kind of connection that Stephanie, who grew up in Dublin City never knowing her neighbours, now treasures and wants her children to experience.
Yes. Stephanie Brookes 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 you arm people with the facts, good or bad, they can make their own judgment calls and they don't get scared, which is what Stephanie tried to do for her community throughout the flood.
Clear, consistent, authentic communication without flowery language builds genuine trust with a community facing crisis and helps them feel secure enough to make their own decisions.
Stephanie had the chance to work with people who gave everything because they felt it in themselves to make things happen, and that level of leadership and team trust made the difference in what the community achieved.
John Milham (Host) · 00:00
Kintsugi Heroes brings you the following River Murray flood recovery story, jointly funded by the Commonwealth and South Australian governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. To find out more about this podcast, head to kintsugiheroes.com.au. The 2022 River Murray floods in South Australia were caused by record water inflows from the Murray-Darling Basin due to heavy upstream rainfall. The slowly rising floodwaters inundated homes, businesses, and farmland, causing widespread displacement, infrastructure damage, and agricultural losses. The disaster significantly impacted local economies, communities, and led to the region's long-term recovery. In this special limited series of Kintsugi Heroes, John Milham sits down with members of the Riverlands community and gives them space to share their experiences of their personal adversity diversity and community resilience. It's only through connection and empathy that there can be a path to recovery. In this episode, John Milham is joined by Stephanie Brooks. Stephanie grew up in Dublin and later made her home the Riverland. After joining Renmark Paringa Council, she became a central figure in local communications. During the 2022 to 2023 River Murray floods, Stephanie played a key role on the emergency management team, sharing clear and honest updates with the community. Her journey takes us from Ireland to regional Australia, showing how her skills and community spirit helped support and connect people at a challenging time. Hello, friends and listeners, fans of Katsuki Heroes, and welcome to another podcast, another conversation that matter, but, and another conversation that adds to the project that is the River Murray Recovery Stories, right? And today, as always, we are super privileged to have somebody who played an intensely interesting and central role during the floods, during the period of floods, Stephanie Brooks.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 02:30
Welcome. Hello.
More stories
This site is part of Kintsugi Heroes. Visit the main site for the full podcast. If any of these stories hit close to home, support is out there, you don't have to sit with it alone.
Read how we handle these stories ↗
Kintsugi Heroes · Registered Australian not-for-profit · kintsugiheroes.com.au ↗
No households protected by the levee network were impacted by floodwaters during the 2022-2023 floods, an outcome Stephanie is deeply proud of as part of the emergency response team.
This conversation includes introduction to stephanie and her role, twelve years at council, six months in a new home, from dublin to the riverland by chance, telling the story of what the team was actually doing, the 1956 flood line and lived experience and a river that was both gift and threat.
John Milham (Host) · 02:31
Good morning. Welcome to Kooky Heroes: River Murray Recovery Stories. Stephanie, you were, during the flood, you were in charge of the communications So the strategy, you know, the emergency response team and, um, uh, you were a member of, uh, you were an employee of, uh, uh, of Redmark Council, but, um, but, you know, you, you were serving the greater project, right?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 03:00
Yes.
John Milham (Host) · 03:00
At the time. Is that, uh, tell us about that.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 03:02
Yes. So I've worked with Redmark Bringa Council for the last 12 years. And during the floods, we developed an emergency incident management team. And yes, I was part of that and my role was to coordinate all the communications that went out to the community and all stakeholders who needed to be informed as to what was happening. So yeah, it was really interesting.
John Milham (Host) · 03:25
Yeah, like, and to be honest, like, maybe this is a little frivolous, so forgive me, but now that you've got some separation from the process, the stress of it all, do you smile when you write Emergency Management Incident Team, right, like on your resume? Because that's like pretty cool.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 03:43
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I haven't had to update my resume because I'm still an employee of Wrenmark Pringa Council. Yeah, yeah, it was, yeah, team effort. And yeah, it was, it was an incredible, incredible time. It was, it was intense. My husband is a winemaker here in the region, so I know what vintage is like. And this was vintage for 6 months, and it was just so intense day in, day out. It was something that we had never done before. Yeah, it was crazy. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 04:17
So, um, uh, most of us will, will have picked up an accent, right?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 04:20
Yes.
John Milham (Host) · 04:21
But you have lived in the Riverland for a long time.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 04:24
Yes. I came in vintage 2012 and I worked for a local winery and that's where I met my now husband. Um, yeah, so I've been working for Renmark Bringa Council since 2013, but originally I'm from Ireland in Dublin.
John Milham (Host) · 04:39
So I have, um, the Irish winemaking industry. Is that, you know, is that something?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 04:47
I worked in wine sales and I had done my, uh, at uni, I'd done my thesis on the consumer behavior with regards to wine. Yeah. So I've, I've always found it very interesting. My brother-in-law is a wine merchant in Ireland and I just found it so interesting how people had emotional affiliations with wine more so than, I mean, you would say, oh, you know, we stayed in, we had a bottle of wine last night, maybe two. But people don't say, I stayed in, we had a bottle of vodka. You'd be like, ugh. And then how it's revered, you know, alongside it's godliness, it's the blood of Christ. It's very interesting. So, but yes, I've diverse now. He's in the wine industry and I'm in local government.
John Milham (Host) · 05:31
Wow. And you are so, and you navigated to, from the other side of the world, you navigated to one of the premier wine areas in the world.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 05:41
Yes.
John Milham (Host) · 05:41
Was that intentional?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 05:43
No, not at all. Faith. Yeah. Meant to be. Yeah. Yeah. So I went from one of the wettest parts of the world to the driest, and then we had a flood.
John Milham (Host) · 05:53
It's, that's, it's so bizarre. So of course, you know, uh, South Australia is the driest state. In the driest continent and that area is one of the driest agricultural areas in the world, right? So it's extraordinary. If I can interpose with a quick story, like I worked in a bottle shop myself during uni days, right? And there's absolute joy in selling alcohol, right? Like, you know, because you don't sell a product, right? You sell an experience, right? And, um, um, you know, you, regardless of the entry point that people have, whether it's a $1.99 bottle of sherry, you know, that you drink in a paper bag in a park, or it's, you know, a high-end bottle of Krug or a bottle of Petrus or something.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 06:53
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 06:55
You could always You know, you could always create slightly more of the experience by, you know, as part of the sales process, right?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 07:03
And it's all about the storytelling, isn't it? Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 07:07
Beautiful.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 07:08
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 07:09
And so all about the storytelling, of course, that's what Kintsugi is. But when the society's in a crisis, you know, that level of storytelling becomes existential, right? It's important to people's emotional and physical safety.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 07:27
Yes, very much so.
John Milham (Host) · 07:29
Did you get that sense when you were, you know, appointed, and how did that appointment take place?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 07:36
So coordinating communications and marketing and branding has always been central to my role at Renmark Whangā Council, and when the emergency incident management team was formed, I was tasked with delivering the comms out to all stakeholders. But wow, I learned so much during that whole process. So I had just moved to Denmark 6 months prior. We had just bought our first home here. And yeah, we, I was in work and we started hearing about the high river and was like, what does that mean? So we actually contacted our insurance as well to see, you know, Is our insurance going to cover us? And wow, this is really scary. And then once we formed the incident team, we recognized that, okay, all of us had these strengths and skills, and we're so strong when we're unified. So, it was, I worked with incredible people, and basically, my role then became easy because I was able to just tell the story of what they were doing. To the wider community, which obviously brought a lot of confidence and security to those living in the community. I live here, I'm a community member, I backed what our team were doing, and I feel that that confidence came through in our communications.
John Milham (Host) · 08:59
Oh, wow. That's a really cool strategy. Authenticity. I wonder if my government should try that more often.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 09:05
Oh, I know, being transparent and authentic and just talking about the operations of what you're doing. And just doing it on a regular basis. I made sure it was very consistent, either daily or twice a day as well sometimes. But just making sure, you know, there was trucks going everywhere. There was dirt being moved and people just freaking out. So at least we could say this levee bank is being restored today, and this is what's happening. I'm one of those people that I feel that if you were to give me information, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad, if you arm me with the information, I'm then able to make a judgment call and I'm not going to get scared because you give me all the facts. So that's what I tried to relay and do for the community.
John Milham (Host) · 09:54
But yeah, I love that strategy. Yeah, like as a communication specialist, like how did the, you know, your background, like, is in Ireland was like, you know, more It wasn't communication or social media.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 10:10
It was marketing. It was consumer behavior. So it was understanding the psychology of people. And I had done some research and then throughout this experience did a lot more research to understand what happens to people in natural emergencies and crisis. And then I also looked upriver as well to see what was happening up there, what worked well, what didn't. Yeah. And then utilizing and looking inwards to our community. So the likes of Ivan Smith and working with him on communication strategies if we were to lose energy. And it was just incredible because when I went to the organizations that you would think would be able to assist in this, nothing like this had happened in South Australia for such a long time that we had to develop it. Ourselves first, and it had to work for us and our community.
John Milham (Host) · 11:04
That's brilliant. Um, did you, uh, did you come from like— it was your house, um, in trouble, or it was just outside the 1956? Wow.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 11:19
Wow.
John Milham (Host) · 11:19
Yeah, so you was— you would— you, you— that authenticity was also being driven by a lived experience of like, what's going to happen to us?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 11:26
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 11:27
Yeah, that's so, um, you know, and, and passing that on, you know, sort of added that, uh, secret sauce to the communication. Yeah.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 11:38
But all of us who are part of the team, we all are community members. So yes, we did it because of our job, but it was so much more than that. It was for our kids, for our, our families, our neighbors. We wanted to do everything that we could to protect our town and our people. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 11:58
Did you, um, you pointed out there the drought, you know, the driest place get, you know, and you're dealing with a flood. Um, tell me about, um, the feelings, you know, like that you had personally, right? Like what is it like? Cause like, you know, the flood was coming and you could watch it in the paper, like the figures go up. What's the latest? Stats on the river.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 12:25
And what does it mean? You're talking gigaliters. You know, what is that? You know? Yeah, we developed some cons to talk about. We have the equivalent of the Sydney, the volume of water that's in the Sydney Harbour moving through our township every day. That's huge. It's just crazy. So, Oh, I learned so much. I, you know, just even levees. What's a levee? A levee bank. L-E-V-E-E. You know, just everything was so new to us. So even though we live in a river community, we don't experience floods very often. So this was very new to us. And with technology and everything, we, we had to think quick, smart, and we had to We had to do what we had the skill set to do, what, and what was needed to be done. And we couldn't wait for anybody else because we were the first community to be impacted in South Australia.
John Milham (Host) · 13:28
So you, um, you mentioned, uh, you lived in the Riverlands outside of Renmark before. What, what, what is, what makes this whole, uh, Riverland and Murraylands, uh, unique?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 13:40
Oh, it's. It's the beauty of here. I mean, you're in a desert, but with this beautiful river coming through that is the lifeline. So that, that was quite conflicting because it is a recreational enjoyment to be out on the river, but then to fear losing everything because of it. Again, it gave you some, a different perspective. So I don't think a lot of people had lived through a flood in, you know, at my age at least as well, to really know, to have that feeling with it. So this was quite new and, and then when you couldn't go out on the river recreationally as well, it became a scary, a scary lifeline that could easily destroy lives. It was very strange.
John Milham (Host) · 14:33
Yeah. Wow.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 14:35
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 14:35
I love that perspective. Cause like coming from a, an, um, another place, right? So, you know, so different.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 14:44
Um, did, was, were you, did you become a river person? Yeah. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 14:49
Yeah.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 14:49
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 14:50
So how do you interact with the river normally?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 14:53
Um, we go out either on the tinny or we've got a ski boat. Um, I go fishing with my husband and I offer him no Irish luck at all. And that's and that's where our happiest memories have been made, is along the river with our, yeah, our family, our kids. They love it. We, we love the river. Yeah. So just to see it change so much was, and to be not allowed to be honest as well, it was crazy. It was just, yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 15:29
So much. There's so much. Connection. I've, you know, I've now spoken to a lot, uh, you know, quite a number of, of, of, uh, Riverlands people. Um, and something always comes through that, like there's some very, there's an emotional, there's a, you know, they identify as River people. There's an emotional connection. What, what, um, and just from observation, like this was a dramatic experience. So, so many communities, you know, Renmark did very well in handling the impact, but other communities struggled. There were over 2,000 homes in the entire area that were, that were, you know, severely damaged or, or, or destroyed. Um, you know, there's still trauma, uh, that people are suffering from loss and, and, and fear. One thing they, I find though, and I'd love your thoughts on this is They, they don't blame the river, right? There's a, there's this sense that it's, you know, the liver and the river is doing what the river does, right? Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 16:32
And that's what the floodland, the floodplains need us as well. And yeah, yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 16:37
There's this sense of gratitude for the river caring for itself.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 16:41
Yeah. Yeah. And whilst it, it was very impacting and destructive for our community, There were times and there were elements of this disaster that really brought our community together. So one of the last pieces of infrastructure that Renmark-Pringåp Council is just about to open, which is the 21st Street Bridge, the bridge, the infamous bridge. I live 5 minutes away from there, and one evening after work, I took my then 3-year-old daughter. And my husband down to the bridge because the water was just gently lapping over the road, and there was yabbies. There was yabbies everywhere. And I had heard about this from locals in the '76 flood of just, oh, you could stand on the bridge and just catch yabbies. So yeah, that was cool to go down, and there was hundreds of people there. It was an impromptu community gathering, and it was, it was lovely because there was an excitement. It was, this is new, and it wasn't scary. The flood levels were not rising significantly. Faintly. It was just lapping over your feet, and it was amazing to see the community come together and to celebrate in the excitement of this. Yeah, so moments like that I, I treasure. And I do recognize though that when pictures of that event came out, there was some senior officials who were like, oh my God, that's terrible, it's so dangerous. But having been there myself, It really wasn't. It was, it was an excitement felt by the community who were experiencing something that the river is meant to do. It's just, we've moved into the river area. Uh, yeah. So that was beautiful.
John Milham (Host) · 18:28
What a lovely thought. It's like the bears to the salmon, right? So the locals are, uh, you know, tapping into the largesse of the river with little nets.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 18:38
There just picking up their yabbies and just, yeah, it was lovely. Everybody was so excited by it.
John Milham (Host) · 18:44
It's a, it's a, you paint a beautiful picture. It's funny because the place is a hard place to live.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 18:50
It's hot.
John Milham (Host) · 18:51
It's, you know, variable farming is such a challenge there. Um, you know, making a living, uh, you know, the tourist industry is, you know, up and down, of course. Um, So having that moment where the, the gifts of the river, right, connect the people, I think that's beautiful. Is that?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 19:12
Yeah, so do I. Oh yeah. And it, it definitely made me feel that my sense of belonging and where I needed to be in the world was here. I just, it just connected me to the region so much more by being a part of it. So, I mean, previously to this flood, Everybody would say, oh, you're not a local unless you've been here since the '56 flood. So now I'm like, so the 2022-23 flood? Am I a local?
John Milham (Host) · 19:40
There's a new classification now.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 19:42
Yeah, that's right. Exactly.
John Milham (Host) · 19:43
So you'll be in a coffee shop talking about, well, when the flood was back, you know, like, and now, you know, and fresh locals now will look at you going, I hope I get a flood one day.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 19:53
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 19:54
Yeah. But well, of course, um, that's also inevitable. Right? The next flood is just in the process, right?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 20:01
Yeah, that's right.
John Milham (Host) · 20:02
Somewhere, sometime in the future, there's gotta be another one. How, how does everyone feel about that after going through something quite traumatic for a lot of people? And if you were, uh, if you were unaffected personally, you knew someone who was impacted, right? How do you feel about future floods?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 20:22
Oh, that's a Look, if I was— if the flood was to happen, if there was another flood, professionally, I have lived experience. I know that we would be able to manage this again, but you never know when it's going to happen. The last one didn't happen from '76. Yeah, so you just don't know, and we're already living in a very volatile and uncertain time, so Trying not to think about it, but if it does happen, we, we've got lived experience. We've got the right people around us in this community who can— we'll get through it. We're a river community. We are resilient. So I may not have been born here, but I am a community member here, and people who live here are very passionate and dedicated to this community. We would, we'd make it work. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 21:19
Do you think, um, like the characteristics, you know, you, you're a storyteller ultimately, you know, like, so, um, how did, um, you know, did you feel the gravitas of stories of the need to make them positive? Were you, you know, shaping them or did you just understand that it was stories need to inform regardless?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 21:41
I didn't try and polish. I just tried to. Explain what was happening because everything was positive. We were so proactive. And I, I cannot be more grateful. And I, I value the people who I was working with at the time because everybody gave it their all, like absolute everything, and did everything in their professional experience, but then also took risks because they could feel it within themselves to make them, to make things happen. And thank goodness they did. So basically I just told their story because it was positive. But if there were things that needed to be, you know, we needed, there was very little that we needed to own up to. It was actually just telling the story as it was. I'm very mindful myself of when I see emergency communications come coming out and they're flowery. I hate that. So I didn't want to do that because I didn't want to lull people into a false sense of something. It was like, no, this is what's happening. These are the facts. So just, you know, be aware that we have this under control, but make sure you have your own steps in place to get out if you need to. And just, I felt it was, it was a collaboration with the community. Not so much informing them. It was, okay, this is, we're going to tell the story of what's happening. You ask us questions back because that's going to help us improve our operations as well. Or just, it was a very two-way conversation during the whole period and it was amazing.
John Milham (Host) · 23:23
Yeah.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 23:23
And there was, it was just crazy to not be able to go to any government office and say, hi, have you got a manual as to how we Somebody tell me what to do. Exactly.
John Milham (Host) · 23:37
Like all the times we're saying, don't tell me what to do. Now you want to be told and no one's there.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 23:42
And everybody, especially in South Australia, had been prepared for fires.
John Milham (Host) · 23:46
Yeah.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 23:46
Not for a slow rising flood. So it was completely different. So that's when I had the pleasure of meeting the likes of Ivan Smith.
John Milham (Host) · 23:56
Wow.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 23:57
He was amazing in terms of like just, he helped me. I, I never, I don't have, I don't go four-wheel driving, so I don't have VHF or UHF, and just seeing what he was able to do and set us up for success if we were to lose power, it was incredible. Yeah, so he helped me write a communication strategy if we were to lose power. We only had 12 hours, uh, um, so yeah, I wrote out a strategy and basically it was, we go to the CEO's house. This is it. And I printed them out, laminated them, gave them to everybody in their cars. And I was like, if everything goes crap, that's where we go. And we need to make sure that we get communications in and out so that operations and levy remediation can continue happening and the community are informed. That was just always at the foremost of our minds. It was the community need to know. That we are working as hard and tirelessly as we can. And yeah, I'm really proud for the fact that we, even on Christmas Day, I worked to just tell everybody, look, our levees are, they're, they're good.
John Milham (Host) · 25:08
Yes. Won't float away.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 25:10
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 25:12
I, I love a story I've, I've heard just where, you know, somebody who was just behind the levee, right? They actually had a Christmas Day barbecue on the levee, right? So I'm not sure they were allowed to, but it seemed somehow set appropriate.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 25:26
Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. But yeah, there was, there was times when there was misinformation put out to the community and there was a government organization who, I don't know why, put flood markers in the middle of town. Wow. It's like, oh no. So poor. And when I, because I had a child in childcare, I would talk to a few parents and one parent said to me, that scared me so much. I slept in a life jacket that night.
John Milham (Host) · 25:58
Wow.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 25:59
Wow. Wow. And you might just snigger and go, oh my God. But no, I, I felt that I was like, that is genuine fear, right? We need to call this out. We need to explain what has happened. So, yeah, and that's, that's what I felt was the best thing we could do was just explain what had happened with everything. Not flowery, not waffle, just be straight to the point. Those markers were placed there incorrectly. They shouldn't have been. Sorry to alarm you. Make sure you come back to us for future updates.
John Milham (Host) · 26:30
Wow. That's so real. I love the idea, you're like, You're, you're there, uh, like you mentioned earlier that it was like a collaboration with the community, right? Um, so did you, like, when you looked in, uh, you know, you actively seeking to connect in a way that was, you know, probably a bit new, I'm, I'm, I'm assuming. Um, did, was that a learning experience? Did you learn about your community? Yeah.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 26:59
Yeah. Yeah, totally. Yeah, when you have government communications, typically it's, it's all very well scripted and you have to go through the powers that be, but we adopted a centralized approach. We had a strategy very early on. We were very clear of what our goals were and how we would interact with the community. So we, we adopted the being authentic, transparent, genuine and consistent, and that helped build a strong rapport with the community, that they believed in our response and how we were going to respond to the cleanup following the flood as well. So I think, I think that trust has hopefully continued on still, because the beauty about local government is We are local, especially in regions. We are the local community serving the community. So it was, yeah, I, I got to know community members. I got to understand what their fears were, and I tried to tailor the comms to enable them not to be so fearful, but to trust and be hopeful in what our approach was.
John Milham (Host) · 28:20
Did, um, was there a sense of, of, um, everyone being able to contribute, do you think?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 28:27
Yeah. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 28:28
And so the community felt like they were part of the response?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 28:32
Yes. Um, we definitely suggested that if people wanted to get involved in volunteering, that they could through the SES. Um, we also reached out to, um, a local organization, Costa Group, for corporate social responsibilities, um, if they wanted to be involved in volunteering. Because as local government, we still have a duty of care, so we couldn't just say, hey, who wants to volunteer, come in. You still have to manage that, so to keep people safe. But by working with an organization like Costa, they brought their, um, their workers in who were working as part of Citrus and they allowed them to spend a couple of days on the riverfront to build a defense wall. And that was an incredible experience. Um, I had the pleasure of videoing and recording these guys, and they were there with their Islander music, just working as a community with our community and protecting us. And it was, that, that was really lovely. That, that was a really meaningful day for me because I had, I had, I remember the guys being like, hey, Tonga and Fiji and, but we love the Riverland and yes, let's protect it. And it was, it was incredible. And then just seeing the whole community line up and seeing how they were doing it and it just, there was a real sense of pride and trust in everybody. Working with each other. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 30:05
It's a beautiful picture. The, um, which brings me to the idea that did this whole, like, it's interesting, like floods aren't just water, it's mud and smell and mold. Mold.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 30:20
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 30:20
So this whole process can be really debilitating to a, to a community. You think, um, they got through it okay? Is there are they healing? Do you think that they're, um, they're moving on?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 30:34
I think so. I think, but I do think there has been an impact to younger generation. I think following COVID and then going into the flood, there was a lot of isolation felt by younger people. And yeah, there's, there is a sense of anxiety and There, I feel that the, yeah, the younger generation, and I would say probably those who were at school at the time, that would've been quite scary for them because you couldn't just move around the Riverlands. You had to, the roads were closed off and there wasn't access. I do think that there, there's a sense of anxiety felt by that generation just because of the series of events that had happened prior as well. But I mean, the people who have been here for a long time, you don't live in the Riverlands and not be resilient, especially if you're a grower and wow, you've been through some tough times as you spoke about at the beginning of this, like it's, it's tough out here. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 31:43
It's a tough place.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 31:44
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 31:45
With tough people. Um, speaking of which, you, you know, you've been through a flood and of course. Um, there's some talk of the water up north that's slowly making its way down.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 31:55
So, yeah. Um, but then the difference is we've had no rain.
John Milham (Host) · 31:59
Yeah, yeah.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 32:00
We got a lot of rain during the—
John Milham (Host) · 32:02
we're talking a drought, right? So, you know, you know, there's this, you know, inland lakes and drought at the same time, right? So it's crazy. So how do you, uh, you know, the drought is a very real impact on the Riverland, is as well.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 32:17
Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 32:17
Do you worry about, you know, like, is there a sense of, oh, we've gotta, you know, gird our loins for another fight or?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 32:24
Yeah, I think personally, this isn't professionally. I do feel that, yeah, we need to, we, we need to look at other options for industry. What has been traditional is potentially not going to be sustainable into the future. We have so much to offer here. It's just, yeah, what's the right industry that will suit the population that we have here, the climate and the infrastructure that's available? I don't know, but I do feel that we do need to look at other options to enable us to diversify because it does worry me that I've got, I've got two girls, I've got little boy on the way. What's their future going to look like?
John Milham (Host) · 33:14
Yeah, it, um, yeah, it must be like, it must be like, so you mentioned 37 weeks pregnant, so you're about to bring another life in. Congratulations.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 33:28
Thank you.
John Milham (Host) · 33:28
Yeah, the idea that, um, you're making, you know, this a home, right? You're building a place. Is it a Do you feel like it's a good place to raise kids?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 33:38
I know this is amazing. Yeah, this is the best place to raise kids. It's such a beautiful community. You've got amazing schools here. Um, my kids have beautiful friends at their childcare and their school. And, and I suppose having kids has really helped me feel that sense of belonging and my sense of place. Here. So I, I, I love it. So I'm, I'm very positive about raising a family here. There's, it's so safe and it's quite idyllic. And when you see what is happening in the rest of the world and the chaos that is out there, it's lovely to be in little old Rennmark where we get a flood once every 50 years, but that's okay. Yeah. We get floods, we get droughts, we get fires, we get anything and everything. Yes. But we always get through it and we always support one another. And yeah, our sense of community, because we are regional and we're so far away from the city, you have to rely on your neighbor. And I came from Dublin City. And I didn't really know my neighbors. So this has been very new to me and I love it. So I could never leave. And I want my kids to have the experience that they can by living here, being a community member. I love it.
John Milham (Host) · 35:13
I feel like it's the opposite of, say, the UK weather and, you know, like, so Ireland, but like we should almost, you know, market to, you know, say you're going to get sunburned, you're going to get dry and parched and all that. Have all these new experiences if you come and set up in the Riverland. Um, well, what are you looking forward to? Like, as, as, so you're raising a new child, so you're up, you know, all the challenges of family, but what are you looking forward to the place? What, what, what do you think Renmark and surrounds will be like in the future?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 35:49
Well, as part of council, we have just developed our growth strategy. So we are looking to grow. The community. So that's exciting. By bringing more people in, you bring more talent in, you bring more opportunities and options. You just don't know what's going to happen. But if I just, I've always been a big believer, you're not a tree as a person. You can always move. You can always grow, but it's very important for you to move and grow. So this is a beautiful, slow-paced regional community. But we do need to diversify and we do need to grow slightly to ensure that we're always ready for the next opportunity and that we're resilient for any challenges that come ahead as well.
John Milham (Host) · 36:38
Yeah. Wow. That sounds like a, um, uh, a great, um, concept mindset going forward. What do you think? Do you think the people need to have? An intention about that? Is that something, you know, because often the culture is, you know, just, you know, handed down, right? We just tap into it. You think, um, does the community need to have a vision for the future?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 37:04
Yeah, I think every, everybody needs a vision for what they want, whether it's to stay the same or else if it is to progress. Um, and I think whilst I say that I do feel that we need to grow and diversify. I do also love the fact that we are small and regional and we are a little bit slower paced here as well. So we need to remember where we've come from, but we also need to be ready for opportunities to come. So, and I think as a council, we are very good at talking with the community to say, this is what our This is what the shared vision is between elected members that you have voted for and your feedback as well from consultation. What do you think? And let's work to achieve this together. So I think, yeah, I think we are a very strong community with a strong focus as to what we want. Those who live here, we know it's a great place. You just love it. Like if you, if you've been here for longer than a year or two, you just know you're gonna be here for a long time because it is, it's a, there's 2 sets of traffic lights in the whole region. Okay. But you've got all the modern shops and things like that that you could ever want as well. So we, we have the benefits of the traditional old school regional life, but also very new and Um, modern and technology has facilitated that. We are, we're a resilient, progressive community, I think. And I think that flood has really built the resilience in the community members who are here now.
John Milham (Host) · 38:55
Cleaned out a bit of the, um, a bit of the detritus and, uh, you know, blockages and so on. So everything's going to flow forward. I love that thought. Uh, one thing I note is so many young people go away, right, to, to explore and so on, and they come back, right? That, so that's something that, you know, you don't see everywhere in the country. Um, what, what, you know, is that an important aspect of it?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 39:22
Yeah, I think so. So I moved here when I was 25 and I have to admit, I was like, oh my God, what do you mean the shops close at 12 PM on a Saturday and that's it. Like, what? I came from Dublin City.
John Milham (Host) · 39:34
Like, what?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 39:36
So that was a bit of a shock. But that's why I am very mindful that this is a beautiful place for my kids to grow up. I have no doubt that they will want to go off and explore and have the options that are available to you in city life. But there is something so tranquil and peaceful about being here. The call of the river will always bring you home. And it's just, that's why we need to create more opportunities to attract and bring back the talent of those who have left to go off and seek greener pastures, to bring them back, utilize their lived experience and their skill sets, but to continue growing and enhancing this region.
John Milham (Host) · 40:23
Yeah, fantastic. Um, with the people who, you know, you, you so beautifully, um, described some of the, uh, you know, more problematic impacts of the flood in the community. How do you help? Like, you know, there are people out there who have been impacted, young people in particular. Yeah. You know, what's your thoughts about helping them going forward? How does the community both acknowledge the, the sort of positiveness of, of your experience, but also bring everybody forward, people who are struggling. How do you do that?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 41:00
Um, well, in the past 12 months, we as a council applied and received funding to deliver resilience and mental health first aid training for people so that they could go out into the community within their smaller communities and be able to pass on those skills. I know that we have, well, as council, the three local governments have supported a youth forum to come together for service providers to understand what's everybody doing, how can we collaborate and provide services to young people. So I know that there is a lot of work happening in that resilience space of trying to build resilience and building And promoting the opportunities that are available because of the geography of the Riverlands. Sometimes we are so spread out that we don't automatically go to work together. So that's where I feel local government's role is to bring people together, to help them to understand the linkages so that they can then provide services in an enhanced and collaborated approach to to the wider community.
John Milham (Host) · 42:08
It's a great point. In many conversations, I've sometimes, just my personal, you know, impression has been sometimes beyond the bend in the river, it's like another world, right? They, you know, you know, this is my part of the river. So in some ways the community, the communities are connected, but they don't always, uh, you know, sort of. Feel comfortable with each other.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 42:37
Now the parochialism is, yeah, it's alive and strong here. I did find that very funny when I first came here and I continue to find it funny because anywho, I haven't lived here since the '56 flood. Maybe if I have, then, you know, then I would be a part of that, but There will always be that friendly rivalry, but yeah, that's the trickiness when you have got 3 local governments within a region. There will be, we, we do things differently. So yeah, it, it does divide and allow for that competitiveness maybe a little bit more, but on a whole, most people will say proud Riverlanders. They wouldn't say I'm a proud Renmark or I'm proud Loxone. They might, but when outside, like in Adelaide, they'll say proud Riverlander.
John Milham (Host) · 43:34
Yeah, absolutely. Against Adelaide. Yeah, for sure.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 43:38
Yes.
John Milham (Host) · 43:39
Which is, you know, interesting, um, you know, from outside. Um, what do you think is going to be the biggest barriers to moving forward? You know, if you've got a growth plan and you know, the individuals. What, what do you think, um, what do you think, uh, may get in the way?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 44:00
Bureaucracy. So, yeah, yeah. As it always is. Yeah. Yeah.
John Milham (Host) · 44:08
There's plenty of stories of, uh, bureaucracy making decisions around the flood time that seem to be, you know, sort of counterproductive for individuals and so on.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 44:17
Yeah. So thankfully we were able to, we were able to assert our authority more so because the event had been declared. And that just saved a lot of time because a lot of time can be wasted. A lot of energy and resources can be wasted due to bureaucracy, which needs to be there obviously to protect people and that. But thankfully during the flood, that was removed. And we, we also noted very early on that the way New South Wales and Victoria, how state and local government and emergency services were working there, it's just very different to South Australia. So we had a choice that we could wait for others to be proactive, or we could utilize our own skillset. Our own people, make things happen and bring them on as a stakeholder. And that worked really, really well. And I'm so glad that we did. Yeah, I'm so thankful we did because the proof was in the pudding because I just told the story of what happened, but just seeing what was happening downstream and in other places. There was no stories coming out, but because the story was not being told by those taking the lead, other people who were very disruptive were chattering on those platforms and you could see the fear and the ambiguity and the uncertainty building. And I'm just so glad that we took the approach that we did, and I hope that we have the same leader and the same people involved again, who wanted to be proactive, who wanted to ensure that the areas that they were responsible for, that they were not just delivering the standard, but just going above and beyond. We had an economic development officer who we were focused on the Levy Bank remediation. She was like, but what about the local businesses? What can, what can I do? And, you know, took a campaign that was used nationally, brought it here to support and to give a platform for local businesses to tell people, shop local, support your community, you know? So everybody did something that was incredible and meant so much to those in the community.
John Milham (Host) · 46:55
That's awesome. What, what, what do you think you need, um, next time, you know, that you've learned the lessons of the '22, uh, '23 floods? What, what, what will, um, what will you immediately grab, ask for, grab for now as a result?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 47:13
Good leadership. That's, we, we had really good leadership who, and the leadership that we had trusted in his team. And that was pivotal because if you don't trust in your team, everything bottlenecks with you and nothing gets done. Whereas our CEO, he recognized all of us were professionals in our areas, gave us the confidence and the trust of his backing. And it was a mutual respect that we had. We just collaborated so well together. We had a lot of respect for each other, and we've learned so much. We've learned as well that very early on in an emergency, it's important to document everything, not only for historical purposes, but it's for funding, for state government to be aware of what we're doing so that we can remediate and, um, break funding, funding, because we don't want to make this, uh, a place where people can't afford to live. So we needed to document everything that we were doing so that we could get some of the cash back.
John Milham (Host) · 48:33
Yeah.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 48:33
Yeah. Which was important.
John Milham (Host) · 48:36
Do you think, um, uh, economically, right? So Red Road, you know, there's some, been some improvements in the areas almost as a result of the flood.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 48:43
And so on.
John Milham (Host) · 48:44
So, you know, the, the wharf and the—
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 48:46
yeah, and so on.
John Milham (Host) · 48:47
So, um, what, uh, economically, what's the future from your perspective? Is it, you know, is it that, you know, like you mentioned, change needs to happen? Is tourism the way? Is it, you know, that kind of, um, you know, finding ways to, to, to have that aura of the river bring people to it?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 49:07
Yeah, I think if we can build on tourism, yes. I mean, You come here during the, any school, school holidays or the summer school holidays. It's just incredible. It's just Easter. I think the whole of South Australia was here because it is wonderful, but more than you can't just rely on tourism because they only come in windows. We do need to look at diversifying industry and we, we need to look for other opportunities. I think, but I mean, to say that, what are my thoughts on the REIT? It's what's happening with the world. There is so much, it's so volatile. There's so much uncertainty. All I can do is just think I live in a beautiful regional town in South Australia. I've got a beautiful family. I feel safe. I feel connected to my community. I have great services. I have great infrastructure in it that's been improved. Yeah, I'm hopeful. I'm hopeful living here. I'm more hopeful living here than anywhere else in the world.
John Milham (Host) · 50:13
That's such a, that's such a beautiful thought, almost a thought to end on. But I do want to ask you, like, you were pregnant last flood.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 50:20
Yes.
John Milham (Host) · 50:21
Right. And, um, uh, so you have a child of the flood and now you have a child maybe of the drought or what's that? Like, you don't get, you, you don't get more Aussie than that, right?
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 50:34
No.
John Milham (Host) · 50:34
Like, yeah. How, um, you know, how do you feel about, you know, who you are now? Like, um, you know, with your children being children of those moments and so on, are you—
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 50:47
I feel like a true Riverlander. Yeah. And I feel like they are true Riverlanders as well. And yeah, I'm very grateful for for, whilst it was a very stressful time, I am so grateful for, yes, how it turned, how we were able to, there was no households impacted by floodwaters that were in the levee network. And I'm so incredibly proud of that. But I'm, I just, oh, I've lost my train of thought now. Sorry, I'm just, yeah. I'm going to get overwhelmed with emotion.
John Milham (Host) · 51:28
I—
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 51:29
sorry, it's, um, it's incredible living here. It's incredible having been through this and the professional experience that I was afforded. It, it meant the world to me as a community member to feel that I was connected to this place and to the community, but professionally that I was able to demonstrate and utilize the skills that I had learned and work with people and learn from. And I will always continue to learn from that experience. And it was, you know, I'm, I'm incredibly grateful to have been part of it and to be, I feel like I added value and it gave me So much personally, more personally than professionally, but yeah, very much so.
John Milham (Host) · 52:21
That is amazing. No, thank you. Thank you for sharing that. And, um, thank you for being there. And, you know, I'm, you know, it's been, it's a wonderful story that you tell. I, I, I'm all the best in a couple of weeks. And, uh, my goodness. Um, what a wonderful advocate you are for your community. Um, thank you so much. For sharing, uh, and supporting, uh, Kintsugi with this, with your story.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 52:45
Thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure. And yeah, it's, it's been awesome working with you and connecting you to people as well. Like, there's the likes of Grant Swartzkopf, who took all the images of the Riverland whilst it was in flood. And yeah, he, he's, he was, he's an amazing, passionate community member, and we would just I'd call them up, hey, I need to, I need to explain what's happening in this situation with this road closing. Hey, I've got the picture. I'll be able to do that because a picture tells a thousand words. And that was just so much more meaningful. So yeah, I'm, yeah, blessed and grateful and thankful to have been part of the team that I was on and for the outcome that came with the natural disaster. So, but thank you, John, really appreciate it. And thank you for the amazing work that you guys are doing in telling the stories of regional Australia.
John Milham (Host) · 53:43
I have to say, I was blown away by the Riverland all the way from, you know, Murray Bridge all the way through to Renmark. It's just a special part of Australia. So lovely work, right? Lovely to talk, Stephanie. Thank Good job. Thank you so much. Bye.
Stephanie Brookes (Guest) · 54:01
See ya.
John Milham (Host) · 54:02
Thank you for listening to this episode of Riverland Recovery Stories. If anything in this conversation has had a triggering effect, please seek support and reach out to someone who can help keep you safe. If you found this conversation interesting or helpful, please share it with your friends, family, and colleagues so we can help more people with their recovery from natural disasters. To find out more about Kintsugi Heroes and our other projects, head to kintsugiheroes.com.au. Thank you to our production team, Kintsugi Heroes volunteers, and most importantly, the Riverland community for sharing their lived experience.
You don't have to be in crisis to call.
Subscribe
Spotify
Apple