HEROISM AND FORTITUDE
WATER INFESTED WITH SNAKES
Saturday night was a night of terror for the persons marooned on the housetops. The waters were Infested with hundreds of swimming snakes, which tried lo reach the roofs The stranded persons had to fight them off with sticks as well as try to keep themselves above the level of the flood
Koo-wee-rup Hospital was flooded to a depth of 7ft within a few minutes, and the patients, some of whom were seriously ill, were trapped before they could be moved Mr Clarence Fenner, who had undergone an operation for appendicitis a few hours beforehand, was in bed, and unable to help himself. His father, who was on the railway platform, waded and swam through the swirling water to the hospital, and climbed on to the roof, where, with the assistance of Mr Gannon, he cut a hole in the galvanised iron and pulled the boy to safety up through the hole.
Aided by others who came to the rescue the 10 remaining patients in the wards were taken out in the same way.
HEROISM AND FORTITUDE
Mrs Mary Ann Bolleman aged 50 years, another patient held a baby in her arms above the water for 15 hours with the water surging above her neck before they were rescued Mrs A Adams and her baby which was born only the night before were being pulled out when the child was dropped into the water. She grasped the child’s clothing frantically and saved it from drifting away. Both were raised through the opening to safety.
Joseph Lee an elderly man was caught unawares by the water while In an open paddock but after being swept for some distance was able to scramble to safety on the roof of a shed.
He was joined by another man. After remaining on the roof for several hours with the water surging round them, Lee's companion, whose name is not known, was carried away and drowned, but Lee remained there for 30 hours and was in a slate of collapse when rescued. He was placed in Murray House private hospital, at Dandenong, where is suffering from shock and exposure. His condition is serious. Mr. J. F. Brewer chemist of Koo-wee-rup, with his wife and two children were caught almost unawares. Seizing a few clothes hurriedly they climbed to the top of the shop, where they stayed for several hours before they could be taken off.
The residents of Dandenong made a magnificent response to appeals to ac- accommodate the refugees. The day before Koo-wee-rup was evacuated they had been engaged in rescuing persons and property from any houses in their own district which had been flooded. On Saturday night only straw mattresses and blankets were available for the victims, many of whom were dressed only in their night clothes. Last night every woman had been provided with a bed in the homes of residents of the town. The men slept in the Scout Hall, but under much better conditions Admirable co-operation by the townspeople enabled sufficient food to be obtained for them
Saturday night was a night of terror for the persons marooned on the housetops. The waters were Infested with hundreds of swimming snakes, which tried lo reach the roofs The stranded persons had to fight them off with sticks as well as try to keep themselves above the level of the flood
Koo-wee-rup Hospital was flooded to a depth of 7ft within a few minutes, and the patients, some of whom were seriously ill, were trapped before they could be moved Mr Clarence Fenner, who had undergone an operation for appendicitis a few hours beforehand, was in bed, and unable to help himself. His father, who was on the railway platform, waded and swam through the swirling water to the hospital, and climbed on to the roof, where, with the assistance of Mr Gannon, he cut a hole in the galvanised iron and pulled the boy to safety up through the hole.
Aided by others who came to the rescue the 10 remaining patients in the wards were taken out in the same way.
HEROISM AND FORTITUDE
Mrs Mary Ann Bolleman aged 50 years, another patient held a baby in her arms above the water for 15 hours with the water surging above her neck before they were rescued Mrs A Adams and her baby which was born only the night before were being pulled out when the child was dropped into the water. She grasped the child’s clothing frantically and saved it from drifting away. Both were raised through the opening to safety.
Joseph Lee an elderly man was caught unawares by the water while In an open paddock but after being swept for some distance was able to scramble to safety on the roof of a shed.
He was joined by another man. After remaining on the roof for several hours with the water surging round them, Lee's companion, whose name is not known, was carried away and drowned, but Lee remained there for 30 hours and was in a slate of collapse when rescued. He was placed in Murray House private hospital, at Dandenong, where is suffering from shock and exposure. His condition is serious. Mr. J. F. Brewer chemist of Koo-wee-rup, with his wife and two children were caught almost unawares. Seizing a few clothes hurriedly they climbed to the top of the shop, where they stayed for several hours before they could be taken off.
The residents of Dandenong made a magnificent response to appeals to ac- accommodate the refugees. The day before Koo-wee-rup was evacuated they had been engaged in rescuing persons and property from any houses in their own district which had been flooded. On Saturday night only straw mattresses and blankets were available for the victims, many of whom were dressed only in their night clothes. Last night every woman had been provided with a bed in the homes of residents of the town. The men slept in the Scout Hall, but under much better conditions Admirable co-operation by the townspeople enabled sufficient food to be obtained for them