Light shone on one of the darkest hours
THE latest addition to Townsville’s maritime museum pays tribute to those who pitched in and helped their city during one of its darkest hours.
An exhibition proposed by the Australian National Maritime Museum is currently touring the nation, and is devoted to the incredible stories of the humble Australian boatie.
Maritime Museum of Townsville managing curator Robert C. De Jong said the exhibition, titled “Remarkable” was a no-brainer, not
only to show in Townsville, but also to include some of our homegrown boating heroes. “Australia has an immense shoreline and there are stories all over, thousands of them, about people who live and work on the water,” Dr De Jong said.
“Obviously, it gave Townsville an opportunity to cover the story of the ‘ Floody Legends’. It’s one of the best stories of all. These heroes who got out there with their tinnies and rescued hundreds of people and pets.”
The exhibition highlights and captures the stories of countless Australians who
have achieved incredible things out on the open waters, but Dr De Jong was eager to highlight the heroes who helped save lives during the 2019 Townsville floods.
“It’s not something that’s unique to Townsville exactly – we’ve seen the same in the floods during Lismore in recent months – but it’s certainly something that Townsville can be proud of and something that puts us on the map, of course,” Dr De Jong said.
“It’s important for the Townsville community to share that particular story with the rest of Australia.
We’ve got 12 stories being exhibited at the moment and they’re all different, about all manner of things.
“It’s a mix of very different themes and it has a very good balance. It’s not just disasters, but other stories too. We have pieces about people who sailed around the world single-handedly. These are stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
The exhibit featuring local stories has been bolstered by pages from the Townsville Bulletin of the 2019 coverage of the floods.
“The exhibit arrived about two weeks ago, and it’ll be sticking around until the end of July for people to come and view,” Dr De Jong said. “It’s something that gives these communities that have been affected a chance to share their identity with the rest of the country.”
AUSTRALIA HAS AN IMMENSE SHORELINE AND THERE ARE STORIES ALL OVER, THOUSANDS OF THEM, ABOUT PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK ON THE WATER
DR ROBERT C. DE JONG