HISTORY FLOODS AND PREPAREDNESS
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ith the wet season almost upon the district it might be a good time to look at some history of flooding in and around Kenilworth. Since records began in 1893 Kenilworth district has been plagued by flooding. Our largest flood in the 20th century was in March of 1955. Dave Pickering was the official flood height recorder for the weather bureau at that time. The Kenilworth Museum holds his recording books. For those who may consider ignoring the flood warnings – look at the speed with which the river rose on that occasion: Date Time Height (ft ) Height (m) March 26 3.00 p.m. 6’2” 1.88 8.00 p.m. 6’11” 2.13 Midnight 7’8” 2.36 March 27 6.00 a.m. 11’3” 3.45 9.00 a.m. 16’11” 5.18 2.00 p.m. 27’5” 8.38 3.00 p.m. 30’6” 9.3 6.00 p.m. 37’6” 11.43 7.00 p.m. 40’1” 12.22 7.30 p.m. 41’7” 12.67 8.00 p.m. 43’3” 13.18 8.30 p.m. 44’ 13.41 9.30 p.m. 44’11” 13.67 When the Mary River rises to a level of 10 metres the township is entered by floodwaters – at approximately 11 metres the
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KENILWORTH ARTS COUNCIL 'THIS & THAT'
enilworth Arts Council invites members to join us at Kenilworth Hotel at 10am on 18 November for a morning of poetry, singing and music as we join with the Singalong group and the Ukes group from Currimundi. Ian Mackay and Brian Browning will entertain us with their amusing poems. • Kim Kirkman’s Inspirations Choir gave a brilliant performance see page 7. We hope to welcome Kim’s choir back again in 2022. • Our raffle of the original Barry Green landscape, handcrafted tapestry, fine Egyptian cotton bath set and a $50 voucher at Big Boss Chocolates will be drawn at the KAC end of year function at St Luke’s hall on 4 December. All are invited to our Christmas function on 4 December $5 a head. Please RSVP by 30 November. A Children’s Art Group meets every Thursday at KAC for an hour of expert creative guidance with leader, Jodie.
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CHEERIO FROM THE CHURCHES
t Luke’s celebrated our Patronal Day with a very happy service on 17 October. The guest preacher, Gemma Dashwood, gave a very engaging talk about her work as a doctor and her spiritual journey in the church. Gemma will be ordained as an Anglican priest in December. The ecumenical service 31 October held at St Luke’s saw the Anglican, Uniting and Catholic Church folk coming together for worship. A tribute was made at the service to the late Daphne Morris who led the Girls Brigade in Kenilworth for fifteen years. This was an ecumenical initiative of the Uniting and Anglican churches. • St John Bosco’s community held a garage sale 6 November with a sausage sizzle organized by a Kenilworth men’s group. Morning Prayer continues at St Luke’s every Thursday morning at 9am followed by Christian Meditation at St John Bosco’s at 9.30. Advent Studies will begin on Thursday 25 November looking at Mary Oliver’s Poetry of Advent. Enquiries Maureen 0457 296 699.
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10 NOVEMBER 2021
township is cut into five separate areas by backwater from the Mary, as follows:1. The township hill – 2. The hall and school – 3. Scandal Hill – 4. The next hill beyond Scandal Hill – 5. The area between George St and Brooloo Road. • At Boxsells shed – Eumundi-Kenilworth Road becomes impassable at about 9 metres river height. • Gheerulla Creek – This bridge becomes inundated with backwater at 4.5 metres river height at the homestead automatic flood height recorder – confirmed from years of personal data collection and observation. At this point all exits to the east are impassable. • Is the Bureau of Meteorology website on your phone, tablet or computer? River Height Bulletin - Maroochy, Noosa, Mary (QLD) (bom.gov.au) • Do you have the Sunshine Coast Council Disaster Hub link Disaster Hub? (sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au) • Do you have a link to the ABC Radio ABC Sunshine Coast Live Audio – ABC Radio? All these sites will help with official notifications regarding flooding. The mighty Mary roars in flood time – be prepared – don’t take risks – and you will survive to greet the Mary when it is the quiet gentle water we know and love. One of the few photographs held by the museum of the aftermath of the 1955 flood. The photograph taken some 12 hours after the peak. Dave Pickering's house in what is now Mary Street centre of shot. The floodwaters came up to the third back step of his home at its height. Lenore Meldrum, President Kenilworth & District Historical Assn Inc.
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IMBIL CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL
t’s full steam ahead as locals eagerly climb onboard with the QCWA fundraiser on 27 November. For many, it will be an opportunity to have fun after what has been a difficult year. “Everybody we have spoken to seem excited by the idea, and we have had fantastic support from local businesses,” says QCWA president Denise C. So what is a Christmas Tree Festival, and how do people join in? It begins with submitting a Tree Entry Form, then entrants use their imagination to either decorate a traditional tree or to create their own novelty tree from scratch as Hazel Nicholson has done with her books above. Trees then go on display at the Imbil Showgrounds Hall from 12.30pm on Saturday, 27 November (public are invited to view them for a gold coin donation). There is also a Decorate-A-Tree workshop for children running 12.30pm to 2.30pm, and a CWA “café” where you can enjoy a cuppa and home-baked goodies. This is a family-friendly event, with Twilight Markets from 3pm-8pm and live entertainment from local folk duo, Shirraz. The prize-winners (in 10 different categories) will be announced at 6.30pm. If unable to make it on Saturday, you can still view the trees between 9am and midday on Sunday. A huge thank-you to all the businesses who have donated towards the prize packages and raffles. Four major raffle prizes include a two-night luxury stay at Yabbaloumba Retreat (Cambroon), and a $500 Garden Design Plan donated by The Plot Thickens (organic garden specialists, Imbil) – tickets are now on sale. Visit Imbil QCWA Facebook page for prize details. There's also space for more vendors at the Twilight Markets. Have you entered a tree yet? There’s still time to join! Entry forms are on the Facebook page, and can be submitted in entry boxes located in Imbil, Kandanga, Amamoor and Kenilworth, or emailed to hotduckindiva@gmail.com. Save the date, 27 Nov. and join us!
The Mary Valley Voice
