Tweed rescue: Tanglewood man sees twins born after separating from wife

A Tanglewood man separated from his wife in flooding has managed to get to hospital in time to see his twins born thanks to an act of kindness from strangers.

Stranded in his Tanglewood home with no power, no reception and floodwaters rising, Jochen Schiach was fearful he was going to miss the birth of his new twins.

Knowing the babies were due and the rains were on the way Mr Schiach, 35, and wife Phoebe Golden, 32, headed to the Tweed Heads Hospital Sunday night to ensure she was able to give birth safely.

However when Mr Schiach headed back to his home to grab supplies he became cut off, losing power and reception as the floods came in.

Jochen Schiach was picked up by surf life savers Luke Hutchinson and Ben Allsopp from his home in Tanglewood where he was stranded just in time to get to the Tweed Hospital before his twin babies were born on March 1, 2022.

A friend put the word out he was trying to get to the hospital and soon a boat had been arranged with three strangers waiting at the end of his street.

“I was absolutely in disbelief,” Mr Schiach said.

“I got a few things together and jumped in the boat.”

They travelled from there to Cabarita Beach, which has been inundated with flood water, and from there to Kingscliff where crews from surf life saving were able to take him to Tweed Hospital.

The Gold Coast high school German teacher said for the whole time he wasn’t able to reach his wife while she waited at the Tweed birthing suite.

“She didn’t know I was on my way,” he said.

“I just checked in the hospital walked through the door, we both just started crying.

“It was so good to be here.”

Since reuniting the couple have been able to relax as the await a boy and girl, expected on Wednesday morning.

Back home their two-and-a-half-year-old son is waiting with Grandma, excited for his new siblings but missing mum.

“He had to call his mum asking her if she can come home,” Mr Schiach said.

“She said ‘I can’t come home,’ and he said ‘maybe we can build a tunnel’.”

Supplies are low in Tanglewood with gas now running out, but for now they’re staying positive.

“For now we’re just glad we can be here and do all that together,” Mr Schiach said.

He gave a massive thank you to the all the people on the boats who made it possible to be there for the milestone in his life.

Those people were Craig Curtin, Ben Griffith and Shaun Tannjarv.

Mr Curtin was himelf displaced on Tuesday morning when his house was flooded and wrecked in a metre of water.

But with access to a boat and a ute he spent his day with his friends helping move others out of their homes around Kingscliff to higher ground as they waited for the water to recede.

“We just heard there was a guy on Clothiers Creek Rd who’s wife was stuck at the hospital,” Mr Curtin said.

“We just put the boat on the back of the ute and drove out there until we found him.”

Craig Curtin helped reunite Jochen Schiach with his wife to see his twins be born.

Despite his own home situation Mr Curtin was thankful he still had a house at all, and along with his friends they wanted to do their bit.

“That’s what you do in these sort of times – people looking after people,” he said.

His house has since drained out but there is still a lot of clean up to do. The other two men are also fine.

“We’re grateful that we’re not as affected as a bunch of other people,” Mr Curtin said.

“We feel for people in Lismore and Murwillumbah.

“We’re super grateful we have everything we have.”