Channel Nine Drinking Game

          The Brisbane floods have offered me an accelerated portrayal of Australian life. While in Sydney, the ongoing floods in Queensland were referred to, but never really a topic of conversation. Just as in Canada, Australia is country of great distances and space. Canadians, by and large, live at the southern border, and Australians likewise live by the sea. But there is still great distance between these cities.

          One consistent factor of this flood crisis for me has been the coverage of the Channel 9 News. (essentially the CBC News) Since it is a national station, I have watched the same anchors and reporters in both Sydney and Brisbane. There has been a distinct shift in the “theme” of the coverage pre-flood and post-flood. Essentially, the initial focus was on the ‘worst-case scenario’, a responsible move if you asked me. After all, some of the loss of life was avoidable.

           In the days leading to up the worst of the floods, it came to my attention that the cities of Brisbane had developed a drinking game known as the “Channel 9 Drinking Game.” Essentially, whenever the word “1974” (the year of the last major flood) or “inundated” was said, people throughout the city drank. I initially found it strange, but really who am I to judge?

           We played this game on the evening before Brisbane was hit hard. My friend Willi and his roommate Dan (my newfound Aussie musical soulmate) had water approach their driveway but no closer. One of Willi’s friends Isaac, wasn’t as lucky.

            Isaac and his family had recently moved into a comfortable pleasant suburb known as Auchenflower. That morning, the water level was almost 9 metres above its usual levels; as a result, his entire lower floor was underwater, and 8 feet of his upper floor. His house was completely flooded.

Instead of waiting for the waters to recede, he sprung into action. Within 24 hours, he had an army of willing friends, a boat, and a power generator. He was lucky, because most people have no access to their houses right now. With each passing hour, it makes clean up more and more difficult. I watched in dismay, as older couples with no means of accessing their flooded houses, watched on. It was a bleak situation outside, inside was another story.

           The room of bustling with energy, but I’ll admit, we were initially overwhelmed. Most of the furniture was destroyed, and there was mud and debris everywhere. However, it quickly became obvious that we just had to clean one room at a time. We carried all the debris and ‘rubbish’ to the back porch, and began cleaning. In the video I have posted, I worried that my camera would be ruined in the mess, so you only see the “after” footage. However, I can assure you, the stench was foul, and it seemed an impossible mess.

            By the end of the morning, as Willi put it “the house was looking like a house again.” It was incredible achievement. All these friends, had answered the call, and simply worked hard. One room at a time. One room that really affected me was the baby room; scattered on the floor were books, toys, pictures, and remnants of a crib. I wanted this room to once again be spotless, and spotless we made it. I left that house with such an overwhelming positive energy it was revelatory. I have signed up to continue to clean houses, and hopefully I will be hired for the next few months. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’m starting to think that all the grueling landscaping/labour work may have been leading me this way. It’s nice to know, that those skills I developed can be used here. As Isaac put it, “It was overwhelming, and there certainly were tears as the water rose…but in end, we have to start again.”

           

           At this time, I am overwhelmed and amazed at the importance of being a good neighbour. This could have been a terrible day, but it was a glorious day.