2019 flood drive leaves impact on Troy Hendy - a member of the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners | Photos, pictures, video
Convoy helps fellow drought-stricken farmers from afar | Photos, pictures, video
HELPING HANDS: Central Victorian volunteers pitch in to help with the delivery of hay bales to drought stricken farmers in Far North Queensland. Picture: SALLY McINTYRE
A WIMMERA family was among an emergency dash to help farmers in flood-ravaged central Queensland.
St Arnaud's Troy Hendy and his three cousins Bruce Hendy, Gordon Hendy and Clinton Chandler were among the convoy of Burrumbuttock Hay Runners vehicles. The trek finished at Cloncurry.
"We got together and in less than a week we were on the road," Troy Hendy said.
"We usually do one big hay run to drought-ravaged farmers each year and it takes a year to raise enough money to get on the road. The support we received in the short time was amazing."
Trucks loaded with hay left St Arnaud on February 14 and joined other members of the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners group, which has delivered hay to drought-affected farmers since 2014.
"We turned this run around in the space of three weeks," Mr Hendy said.
"We were delivering hay in drought areas and now to areas affected by the floods.
"The poor people in Queensland … it's green, it's lush … they've just come out of a drought and now into this."
Mr Hendy said some areas of Queensland recorded more than 900 millimetres of rain.
"When it first started raining, many people find it hard to believe the amount of rain," he said.
"The area of Queensland's surface under water was twice the size of the whole of Victoria."
In what was his sixth hay run, Mr Hendy said he had never seen anything like the destruction of the flood.
"They've experienced a hell of a lot of cattle loss," he said.
"Some really big numbers have been recorded. We are talking hundreds of thousands of cattle have been lost in the floods and those survived - urgently needed feed."
Mr Hendy said the scenery was heartbreaking.
"The changing of the temperatures is what has affected a lot of the cattle," he said.
"After receiving that amount of rain and going from 40 degrees with wet cattle to 15 degrees and 40kmh winds … (it) has essentially frozen the cows.
"Many of the cows received pneumonia and died."
Mr Hendy said cattle weren't the only animals affected.
"The only way I can describe the landscape in Queensland is like a nuclear bomb has gone off and killed all the stock," he said.
"I've been told there isn't any kangaroos around - they've gone as well. There are no birds - there are parrots, dead, everywhere."
Along the roads there are bales of hay, which Mr Hendy said cattle used to seek higher ground.
"Fences have been cut so cattle can move onto the road," he said.
"The road is essentially higher ground. There are also choppers working around the clock the deliver hay out to stranded cattle - in areas which can't be reached by road transport."
As the clean-up begins, Mr Hendy said he felt for the farmers impacted.
"It will be a massive job cleaning up," he said.
"I think it will be a massive shock to farmers when they realise just how much has been lost.
"For years, these farmers have kept these cattle numbers up - at a really tough time. In a matter of days, they've lost the lot. Generations of breeding - just gone."
Mr Hendy said he would continue lending a hand from afar.
"It's all about that personal touch that means so much," he said.
"It's such a big emotional rollercoaster. The mental health problem up there is going to be horrific.
"If anyone wants to jump on board and give us a hand, I welcome to touch base and I can point them in the right direction."
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