Queensland's Disaster Heroes recognised
Craig Michaels from Connected stands in one of the donation filled warehouses (Emma Sykes - ABC Local)
This week, thousands of people from across Queensland have been presented with Queensland Disaster Heroes awards - to thank them for their efforts during the recent disasters, and to commend them on their ongoing efforts to support their communities.
Craig Michaels is just one of over two thousand recipients of the award, whose enduring support for flood affect families has not gone unnoticed.
Craig, like so many people in Brisbane post flood, rolled up his sleeves and decided to act on the desire to help those who had their life swept to the street with the mud when the water receded.
On the weekend after the flood, Craig coordinated donations of one of the most essential things for flood survivors; toiletries, cleaning products and clean towels and arranged volunteers to pack and distribute the goods that were streaming in from like-minded Aussies.
He started packing boxes in his garage, but when the grassroots initiative became bigger then Ben-Hur, Craig secured a warehouse and established a voluntary organisation, Connected, that has assisted thousands of families through the distribution of goods donated by the public.
Almost six months on, Craig has continued to support communities across South East Queensland with his team of 11 volunteers who organise and coordinate a 6000 square metre warehouse full of household goods that remain free of charge to families who have begun the rebuild.
He says his volunteers keep the organisation running, unloading semi trailers of goods that continue to arrive at the Banyo warehouse.
"People can arrive here with identification and if they were completely flooded they have access to anything on site, free of charge."
"We have 11 volunteers here, but we could do with 50 more everyday!"
It sounds like the job of a wealthy man, but Craig makes this happen with his fortnightly disability pension, after using the funds from his super, and dipping in to his savings.
Craig says when they can, Connected goes to the people. now and then they take the goods to the people.
"On Saturday 11th of June we're taking the goods to flood survivors at Chelmer."
Flood recovering residents from Brisbane and the Lockyer Valley can access Connected services at St Davids Memorial Hall, Chelmer from 11am-3pm on Saturday 11th June.
Craig's story being born out of the need to help others is not unlike Danielle's.
For Danielle Crismani it began with a simple batch of cup cakes, and grew to a battalion of bakers to provide Baked Relief to those in the hardest hit areas in Brisbane and the Lockyer Valley, and moved to assist communities in North Queensland after Cyclone Yasi.
Mixing her love of food and her blog with the need to do something while she waited to hear news of her mother and two children who were stranded in the Lockyer Valley during the destructive flooding, Danielle hashtagged Baked Relief on her twitter account as she called for people to bake for local volunteers and was immediately flooded with offers of help.
Although Baked Relief started as a tool to assist in the initial flood recovery, Danielle and her volunteers have continued to work with families and provide more than just baked relief. The volunteer organisation, working with two other community organisations born from the disaster, is currently focused on the 'Warm a Child PJ Relief Project' to provide pyjamas to the children affected.
Danielle says the response from the Brisbane community for all of the campaigns Baked Relief have run has been overwhelming.
The mammoth volunteering effort of Baked Relief, The Heart Army and Brisbane Adoption are being recognized by the Premier's Queensland Disaster Heroes program.
Premier Anna Bligh says more than 3500 heroes have been recognised at ceremonies in the Lockyer Valley, Townsville, Rockhampton, Emerald, Bundaberg, Ipswich, Cassowary Coast, Toowoomba, Dalby and Brisbane regions since the beginning of Queensland Week.