Story: Rebecca Brown
Warwick hockey fields were the worst sporting ground the Queensland Governor has seen during her tour of flood-affected areas in the State.
Her Excellency Ms Penelope Wensley AC made the comment during her visit to the Southern Downs on Tuesday and yesterday.
“As the patron of Queensland Hockey, I was shocked. I have been particularly interested in visiting sporting facilities across the State. This is the worst I’ve seen,” Ms Wensley said.
“It’s an enormous challenge; it’s way beyond the capability of the local community, despite how enthusiastic they are. Warwick has got a wonderful community spirit,” she said.
“Queensland has suffered an absolute disaster that has affected three-quarters of the State. There are enormous challenges. There will be a very tough process in setting priorities.”
Ms Wensley said the condition of roads was probably the biggest issue, affecting all industries.
“We saw a series of sobering road damage with enormous potholes.”
She visited Steele’s Bakery, who were badly affected by the recent floods, the Warwick East State School, Killarney and Stanthorpe during her two-day visit.
Ms Wensley had meetings with local residents involved in many aspects of the community like business, the environment and tourism – all of which were affected by the recent flooding.
“I also want to thank all the people in the community who have done things over the last month to deal with the floods and the recovery,” the Queensland Governor said.
She said one of the upsides of the recent flood was the increase in the number of people joining service groups in Queensland. Maintaining and increasing membership, particularly attracting younger people, had been an issue for some of these clubs in the past.
Southern Downs Regional Mayor Ron Bellingham said it was great to have the Governor see first-hand the damage we had suffered due to the recent flooding.
“It’s a morale booster for the community that she took the time out to visit the region,” Cr Bellingham said.
