JourneyOnline
Dozens of homes were inundated in Stanwell, near Rockhampton, when flash floods ripped through the community on January 25.
The water roared past.
Never before had it risen to this height; at least a 1.5 m higher than any previous flood.
Vegetation, branches, logs, silt, fences, and household belongings were all swept along by a torrent hundreds of metres wide which had soon hidden the path of the original quiet country stream.
And ever so quickly one dwelling after another was inundated along with whatever material possessions each family had acquired.
This was Stanwell, a place that boasted a nearby power station, a shop, a school, twin tracks carrying the coal from further west and numbers of older homes protecting the lives of many country people.
And now so many wander around dazed and wondering if a large part of their lives or their future will ever be normal again.
"We heard them in the night," one woman said. "The animals; the cows and goats, being swept past.
They were like children crying out.
Bleating! And we couldn't do a thing."
Where does one see hope in devastation like this? It was certainly on my mind as I visited one after another.
But then I heard about Tripod!
I initially thought it was a joke, but no.
One family group after another knew the story.
So I went to the source.
After the waters had subsided a family was walking across the flat searching for whatever could be gathered, when they heard a weak noise.
It was only when the noise came again that they looked up.
Nothing was visible except for the accumulated debris in the branches and forks of the trees.
But then someone noticed a little white patch well above head height, and out of the spoils of the flood was lifted Tripod, their three-legged goat.
All his brothers and sisters had drowned but Tripod, covered by masses of rubbish, had been jammed safely into the fork of a tree.
Why does everyone in Stanwell know this story?
I believe deep down it is a story of survival. It is a story also of hope.
If God can allow a three-legged goat to be jammed into the fork of a tree, then surely a community can also rebound and find life again.
Yes, Tripod bleats for his mates.
He's all alone now. I dare say he is emotionally a disturbed goat, but with loving care he will be okay.
And so will a community like Stanwell find the courage to survive and be sustained into the future as it smiles and remembers how, through their worst night on record, one disabled goat called Tripod survived to live another day.
Just maybe they could rename him Hope.
Photo : Tripod the goat, rescued from a tree in Stanwell after flash floods on January 25 washed away houses and property. Photo: Glenn Ingram
