Stopping by: Leader of the Nationals The Hon. David Littleproud MP and Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell visited Rochester. Photo: Aidan Briggs.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
The Rochester Men’s Shed got a special surprise this week to commemorate one recent anniversary of the devastating 2022 floods.
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Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell and leader of the Nationals David Littleproud stopped by the club to give them the Australian Flag.
It was the same flag flown in the Chamber of the House of Representatives on October 16 - the first anniversary of the disaster.
Mr Birrell has invited the Men’s Shed members to build a frame to display the flag, which will be presented to the Rochester community to recognise their enduring spirit, resilience and pride in the face of a devastating natural disaster.
“It is a small gesture but an important one,” Mr Birrell said.
“It’ll be something for the people of Rochester for hopefully hundreds of years to say we went through this, we were resilient, we built our community back, and the people in Canberra didn’t forget us.
Special gift: Leader of the National Party David Littleproud and Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell handed over an Australian flag from Parliament to Steve Harris from the Rochester Men's Shed. Photo: Supplied.
“I want them to know that on the day this flag was hanging in the House of Representatives, the Federal Government and the Federal Parliament were thinking about our community.”
Mr Birrell said the return of clubs like the Men’s Shed is helping some of the longer-term effects of the floods.
“After you go through a disaster ... there is the adrenaline of what happens immediately afterwards, and then the grief can kick in later on, and that is when people need these mechanisms in town to come together,” he said.
Mr Littleproud, who has been to Rochester several times since the floods, said it was great to be able to see the club.
“This is my third visit in 18 months, and you can see the difference and how the town has rebuilt, but there is still the rawness on the emotional and human level,” he said.
"That’s something governments of all persuasions shouldn’t forget. There is still healing to take place.”
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