Admiral of the Mud Navy, policeman Andrew Self, oversaw effort that saved 1000 Bundaberg flood victims in a day

IN desperate days of the Bundaberg floods, Andrew Self went from humble cop to admiral of his own fleet.

IN THE desperate days of the Bundaberg floods, Andrew Self went from humble policeman to the admiral of his own fleet - the Mud Navy.

On Monday, January 28, as the waters of the Burnett River kept rising and the State Emergency Service was nowhere to be seen in the low-lying enclave of Bundaberg North, Detective Sergeant Self turned to the townspeople to save the day.

Via radio, phone and social networks, Sgt Self rallied a navy of about 120 civilians with around 30 boats to help ferry the residents of Bundaberg North to higher ground.

Finding himself the most senior officer on site, with firefighters, a few police, surf lifesavers and a diverse bunch of locals in boats, Sgt Self oversaw a Dunkirk-style operation that shifted around 1000 people in a day.

As reports came in of more water in the upper reaches of the river, Sgt Self took calls from the disaster co-ordination centre and directed boats to the pockets most at risk, resorting to using the bonnet of his car as a makeshift whiteboard.

"With most of the street signs under water I had to find people who knew the area and co-ordinate them into crews," he said.

"As the stranded residents were coming in, if they were able-bodied I was putting them straight in to relief crews."

Sgt Self said conditions were treacherous with debris, trees and powerlines a constant threat, as well as the current which was so fast it capsized one of the swift-water rescue boats.

The policeman's role as a rescue linchpin has earned him a nomination for a Heroism Medal in the 2013 Pride of Australia Medal, but he said he'd merely co-ordinated the evacuation.

"It was a massive co-ordination effort. We couldn't get more police or resources across the river, so that was where the civilians had to jump in and without them, the Mud Navy, the volunteers and their boats, lives would have been lost for sure," he said. "People like (Sergeant) Marty Arnold who hadn't slept for 48 hours by the time I arrived on Monday morning."

Det Sgt Self provided a list of almost 20 police he wanted mentioned as part of the evacuation effort, downplaying his role as just one of many that saved the day.

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Nominations close July 16.

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