They came in droves to help the state
They came with bread and milk to wait
Until the water receeded back
So their hands with work they could crack
From mud and silt and rising tide
Queenslanders came from far and wide
They toiled and slaved and wiped their brow
Leaned on a broom and wondered how
All this could happen to the people around
Oh well, they said, we'll rebuild this town!
One man grabbed everything he had
And gave it away, not even sad
At the loss, the pain or even the houses
Nobody complained, they just hugged their spouses
So glad you're alive, they said out loud
It was what wasn't said that made us proud
With many hands they did the work
This was a job they would not shirk
For they were tall and they were strong
And they were Australian, all along
Among the backs of women and men
Came the relief in groups of a hundred and ten
Nobody cried for they knew not how
They just toiled and soiled and worked the plough
Deep in the mud as far as they could go
Wasn't a question, wasn't for show
They rebuilt this town from the bottom to the top
Until it was done, they did not stop
For when we hurt and when we're blue
We know we're Aussie, through and through.
-Elizabeth Costello
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