Recruitment drive launches for Moreton Army volunteers

Volunteers are needed to join the new Moreton Army, which will help the region recover in the aftermath of the devastating weather disaster.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery expressed his gratitude at today’s Council meeting for the work of Council staff and the unofficial Moreton army which had risen to the challenge of helping fellow residents in the past week.

“We have a Moreton army, communities in our region just got stuck in and got cleaned up, helped their neighbour, their family and people they’d never met,” Mayor Flannery said.

“I am humbled by their spirit, generosity and respect for each other.”

Mayor Flannery said launching an official Moreton Army would allow a co-ordinated response to the massive clean up across the region.

Banding together

“It’s not a Mud Army, it’s the Moreton Army – it will be great for people who want to get out and help the rest of the community.”

Mayor Flannery has spent recent days travelling the region and said while he was devastated for people who are isolated, impacted and stranded by the biggest rain event in over 130 years – many losing everything – he was also proud of the spirit of Moreton Bay.

“(I am) proud of the immense privilege I have to lead a region where we have seen the true leaders in our communities stand up in every village and suburb.”

Helping launch the Moreton Army, Morayfield MP and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services Mark Ryan said the initiative signalled the next step in rebuilding.

“There’s a number of stages of a natural disaster - the first is response, where everyone comes together to make sure people are safe, to make sure people are looked after, but then there’s recovery,” Mr Ryan said.

“That’s where the Moreton Army is going to come in.

“I know that the Queensland spirit is alive and well in the Moreton Bay region and the Queensland spirit’s all about helping your mates.

“But we need to do it in a co-ordinated way, so having Moreton Bay Council create the Moreton Army allows us to co-ordinate that response so that when we’re out there helping our mates, we do it in the best possible way and the safest possible way.”

Council plans to deploy the Moreton Army from Friday, March 4.

To sign up for the Moreton Army visit the Volunteering Queensland website here.

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