?It wasn?t just me, our industry has offered a lot of support, everyone put their hands up,? said Payne, the senior site executive of Scotbar Pty Ltd, trading as Rock Trade Industries of Helidon in Queensland. ?The Mines Department, the local government ? lots of different authorities. Some of them couldn?t help on the day but they have all been helping for the past 12 months.?
Payne, along with his 20 year old son Scott and other quarry employees, rescued 80 people during the Queensland floods in the Lockyer Valley last year by bulldozing a path to the community of Grantham so that emergency crews could get through.
?I went to try to get in to Grantham in a four-wheel drive but couldn?t get through. They needed equipment and I rang some of the boys and they came with me,? he said. ?We started at about five in the afternoon and most of the boys worked all night until about four or five in the morning.?
Allan Payne spent days working alongside rescuers using his bulldozer to clear debris, rescuing survivors and recovering bodies.
Recently Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson presented 49 year old Payne with a Queensland Police badge in recognition for his work. Unfortunately, 19 people died in the floods in the Lockyer Valley and another two in Toowoomba, and Mr Payne expressed his heartfelt desire to have rescued more people.
?The flood had a big impact on the business. The quarry was flooded but that was nothing, it was not important when you compare it to what people have lost, like their homes and their family and friends,? said Mr Payne.
Many stone monuments unveiled to commemorate the floods, not just in the Lockyer Valley but all over Queensland, came from the Scotbar quarry and so are a fitting tribute to the company?s selfless endeavours.
Sources: AAP. With thanks to Allan Payne for his comments and assistance.