While on her rounds as a Maitland Community Care Services volunteer, Mrs Huckstadt noticed the once-familiar blue and white Public Works signs had been taken down.

Despite asking questions about their removal at last weekend’s 1955 flood display at Maitland Town Hall, Mrs Huckstadt has not received any convincing answers.

“I noticed the signs were missing for some months now while I travel with clients on the community bus,” she said.

“I spoke to Maitland City Council and Local Land Services to find out where the signs had gone.

“But no one could tell me.”

It was suggested they may have been pinched and that residents and developers do not want to see them, but Mrs Huckstadt was not satisfied.

“If they have been deliberately removed then it is immoral because it deludes people about what can happen in Maitland [in a flood],” she said.

Floods are part of Maitland’s history and everyone, new and old residents, need to be aware, she said.

“Visitors need to know, everyone needs to see what the water levels were. The blue and white signs provided a visual indication of how high the water was in the middle of Maitland.

“Children need to know. We need to have constant reminders of how this can happen again.”

Mrs Huckstadt is passionate about local history and is also a volunteer at the Australian Museum of Clothing at Maitland Gaol.

“I have lived here a long time. I was only five at the time of the 1955 flood. Now all of a sudden the flood water level signs are gone,” she said.

“It may be the case that (timber) power poles (with flood level signs) have been replaced.

“But anyone considering building a home in Maitland has to know they are in a flood area and they need to see how high the water can rise or risk losing everything.”

One flood level sign remains on a power pole at Woodville store while a new blue and white sign was found on a power pole in High Street opposite the town hall yesterday by photographer Cath Bowen.