Team rallies to clear Redcliffe Golf Course of debris

The team at Redcliffe Golf Club has been on course today, not playing a round, but starting a massive clean-up mission after Ex-Tropical Cyclone felled trees and shredded others.

The course, which was built in 1935 and opened the following year, is positioned beside Hays Inlet and nestled among houses at Clontarf.

Course Superintendent Dave Scott says fortunately the large trees taken out by winds up to 104km/h on Saturday night, as the southern edge of Alfred smashed the City of Moreton Bay, fell back onto the course and away from houses.

“We’re probably lost close to about 15 large trees that are in excess of 15m tall … significant damage,” Dave explains.

“There’s also a lot of leaf litter on the whole golf course. Every tree has been decimated in terms of leaf litter.”

The course is home to native wildlife including kangaroos, koalas, birds and reptiles.

“I haven’t seen any animals that have fallen from trees yet. Over the weekend, we saw kangaroos out on the golf course which is a good sign. We think they just retreat and stay where it’s safe. They know where the safe spots are,” Dave says.

“We haven’t sighted any koalas yet, but we’ll keep an eye out for them.”

He and his team of 10 ground staff, contractors and six volunteers started work about 6am this morning, chopping up tree limbs and collecting big branches.

There is a tree contractor onsite who is dealing with the big fallen trees.

“We’re on a day-to-day process to see how far we get in a day. We’ll come back and have another crack at it tomorrow,” Dave says.

He says the club will assess their progress later today to determine if they need to put a call out for volunteer help.

It hopes to reopen the course at the weekend, if possible.

Dave says he has never seen damage like this, but his team is determined to clean up and ensure the course is back to the same high standard it was before Tropical Cyclone Alfred as quickly as they can.