Mayor Tanya Milligan praises the spirit of the Lockyer Valley

“You see ordinary people doing extraordinary things”, Mayor Tanya Milligan says of her community in the Lockyer Valley.

Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Tanya Milligan is singing the praises of the Lockyer Valley community during tough times. Picture: Ali Kuchel

NO-ONE could say Lockyer Valley Mayor Tanya Milligan doesn’t understand what her constituents are going through – she’s going through it too.

Like a lot of people shut-out of their homes due to flood waters, Cr Milligan has had to rough it too, sleeping in a swag on the floor of her office, unable to return to her home in Laidley.

However, the experience of being locked out of home heightens the focus of the job she has at hand.

“I’m an army mum, my son is in the army, so I feel as if I’m doing my bit,” Cr Milligan quipped.

“And, the swag is quite comfortable.”

Along with bushfires and other dramas during her time with council, this is Cr Milligan’s third flood and though it’s stressful for her to see people going through such difficult times, the spirit of the people never ceases to amaze her.

Grantham in flood, Saturday, February 26, 2022. Picture: Megan Masters

“You see ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” she said.

“We have one young man who hasn’t been with us very long who drove a dozer to get people out of flood waters.

“The kids were in the cabin and the adults on the front.

“I can’t get back to my home either but my neighbour has sandbagged my house and he’s been feeding my dog,” she said.

Grantham in flood, Saturday, February 26, 2022. Picture: Megan Masters

“He said ‘I wish I could do more’ but I told him ‘you don’t know how much I appreciate what you’re doing.

“While you’re looking after my house and my dog I can focus on doing my job without having to worry about that’.”

Cr Milligan said it was too early to estimate the damage bill from this flood but she believed it would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“Who knows what it (cost) will be?” she said.

“We won’t know until all this is gone and the engineers move in and check buildings, roads and bridges.

“We don’t know how many houses have been affected because people can’t get into their homes to see.”

People evacuated in the floods have been housed at a number of safe facilities throughout nearby towns until they can go home.

“I know people want to go home but if they can wait a day or two then at least they will get to go home,” Cr Milligan said.

“If we can get through this without any loss of life, that will be my biggest prayer answered.”