THREE months after Cyclone Alfred the Chainsaw Warriors have completed their final jobs.
Team leader Guy Johnstone said it had been a long haul, completing over 60 jobs, some of which took several days.
One of the newest members of the group, Ben Buchan, who joined two months ago when he’d recovered from foot surgery, has become one of the many now trained up by Guy to use a chainsaw.
Ben said he never imagined he’d be using a chainsaw or that he’d be able to, but described Guy’s training as exceptional.
“I feel much more useful and if there is another storm I’ll be doing this again,” he said.
“I think very highly of Guy. It’s good to see a strong community leader spirit in him and I think that’s infectious.
“The group are all good hearted with a strong desire to help. Some of the people we have helped have been quoted $5000 to get things done so it’s nice to see people getting out and helping each other.”
He said losing his Nan through COVID made him think about all the other elderly people on the mountain who may be without support.
Ollie Tierney is one of the original members, joining in early 2024 after the tornado.
Ollie and his partner, Belinda McCann, drove around looking to offer help and found Adam Chanter working at a house. He joined up straightaway.
“The community spirit is so important. I’ve always lived in the bush and know what storms can do, so it’s super special to give back to the community. I love landscaping and the bush,” he said.
Ollie even took extra time off work to help with the group.
As soon as the call went out for assistance after the cyclone he was there in his safety gear ready to go.
He often finishes up from working the night shift and heads straight out to help – on average two to three days a week.
“The group is sensational. It’s great to have such a diverse group of people to come together. Guy has taught me so many new skills. Guy showed me how to sharpen a chainsaw. I’d spent years sending mine away to be sharpened,” he laughed.
“It’s awesome to be able to be ready to go for the next possible disaster.”
He encouraged anyone who hadn’t helped out but was considering it, to come and join.
“It’s really empowering to help when you can,” he said.
“I’ve been trying to get into a community group for some time, but because of my hours it’s been difficult.
“For me to be able to help my elderly neighbours has been amazing. It’s a great way to get to know your neighbours and it keeps me busy.”
He’s now looking forward to improving his skills further with CPR courses and making contact with the other emergency organisations.
Ollie also hopes to work with local welders to build a sandhopper to fill sandbags for locals.
Throughout the cleanup the Tamborine Mountain Lions Club has supported the volunteers with food and drinks and moral encouragement.
Guy remains busy ensuring they are better prepared when the next disaster hits, meeting with the heads of the Tamborine Mountain Fire and Rescue and the Rural Fire Service and SES.
“We have been discussing creating an incident control centre at the fire station, which has a generator with a Chainsaw Warrior liaison officer in there,” he said.
“Being at the heart of the control centre will allow the warriors to know immediately what incidents need to be dealt with.”
He said one of the biggest issues is that 000 and 112 do not work when there is no power on the mountain.
“If there is an emergency with no power on the mountain there is no way to access 000 on older model phones,” he explained
“The mobile phone towers are supposed to have back-up generators, but they don’t.”
“When the power is down the NBN landline also doesn’t work.”
Councillor Stephen Moriarty, head of the Local Government Disaster Management Group (LDMG) said he has contacted ABC Gold Coast who are keen to work with the LDMG and Scenic Rim Regional Council to broadcast timely and up-to-date information before, during and after a disaster event.
“This will be particularly valuable during times of power outages and when normal communication methods are not available,” he said.
“While the details are still being finalised, an example might be that information specific to the Scenic Rim would be broadcast at set times twice daily so that residents know to listen at these times when other communication options are unavailable.”
“Council has purchased a large trailer mounted generator that can be relocated around the region as and when needed.
He said there were also a number of individuals and community groups looking to purchase generators and install changeover switches to buildings to minimise the impact of prolonged power outages.
“This is in keeping with the principle of a ‘community led ‘ response in times of need, and I commend the individuals and groups who are engaging in this valuable work,” Councillor Moriarty said.
