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It’s expected many more dead animals will be discovered as floodwaters recede further and the true toll is laid bare.
“This is going to take a huge mental toll on farmers for sure. It’s upsetting.”
Farmers tried to move cattle to higher ground through raging floodwaters by foot and canoe. Source: Supplied / Laura Polson
Emotions are still raw as the community grapples with the distressing loss of both animals and property.
“All our houses for our staff went under water as well.”
Dairy farmer James Neal spoke to SBS over Zoom as he remained cut off by floodwaters on Oxley Island. Source: SBS News
Neal said many farmers in the area made contingency plans for moving stock to higher ground after major flooding in 2021, but those areas were under water by half a metre this week.
“Cows just got washed away and basically got caught on fences. I’ve got heaps of photos of stock that has washed up and they’re not even local ones, they’ve come from upriver where obviously people thought they were on flood free paddocks and they just weren’t.”
He and many more on the island have been isolated for days without power and struggling to tend to their livestock that have survived with feed washed away and equipment destroyed.
Laura Polson feeding a calf as she stayed with her isolated property during flooding on Oxley Island. Source: Supplied / Laura Polson
According to Neal, dairy cows also need to be milked every 24 hours, but that is proving a nearly impossible task in current conditions.
“My dad, brother and sister have made huge efforts to protect our cows and calves on other parts of the island but it’s unknown how those cows are doing.”
A calf taking shelter on the veranda of Laura Polson’s home as floodwaters raged around it on Thursday. Source: Supplied / Laura Polson
‘A few bad years now’
“We had the droughts in 2019, we were all affected by bushfires, lost hives there, a lot of people did. Then we had the floods in ‘21, then we had Varroa Mite, and now we’ve got this. It’s pretty tough.”
“We’re a bit numb at the moment actually.”
Commercial beekeeper Colin Broos says he doesn’t know how his business will bounce back after more than 120 of his hives are washed away in the flood. Source: SBS News
Other Oxley Island farmers like Lee Fieldhouse say it’s going to be a “tough winter” for everyone in the area.
“There’s going to be a lot of people that have lost everything.”
Lee Fieldhouse among locals using boats to get to their friends and neighbours, for rescues and to deliver supplies. Source: SBS News
He has been reaching isolated friends by canoe, delivering supplies to keep spirits up.
“I’ve done the bread and milk run and beer and ciggies. All the essentials.”
Locals ‘cut off’ from medical care
Already facing the challenge of rebuilding a destroyed home, Peck was injured by a distressed cow while searching the beach for missing belongings that washed away during the flood.
The lack of a public hospital in Forster-Tuncurry has been the subject of debate for several years.
On Friday, locals on Oxley Island continued using boats to rescue and assist residents still stranded by floodwaters. Source: SBS News
On Tuesday, local member Tanya Thompson told SBS it was a serious problem.
“We don’t want any further trauma here; we are already traumatised enough.”
Sherinah Peck suffered a leg injury after an encounter with a distressed cow on the beach. Source: Supplied
