IT was one of the most catastrophic natural disasters Maitland has even seen,and now the 1955 flood has been forever preserved in history through a new video series.
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Flood historian Peter Bogan has been instrumental in the creation of Maitland Flood History Walks DVD – a free collection of flood facts available from McDonalds Bookshop in The Levee and Maitland Visitors Centre in High Street.
The DVD offers a virtual walk with Mr Bogan and accurate facts about the impact of flooding on Maitland. It also considers how the flood has shaped the city.
Read more: Remember the 1955 flood
Read more: 1955 flood – an insider’s view
The historical record stems from Mr Bogan’s flood walks which took groups on tours to show them how the flood had an impact.
Flooding around Maitland Railway Station and Mount Pleasant Street are two of several subjects Mr Bogan has tackled during his years of research.
The DVD was produced in partnership with the NSW State Emergency Service Hunter Region and Hunter Local Land Services.
The idea to preserve the history of the flood began in 2005 and this is the final stage of the project.
Phillip Lloyd and Gunther Schmiti were involved in filming and editing the video.
“The DVD includes videos of two Walk and Flood Tours, led by Peter Bogan, covering the Mount Pleasant St. and Long Bridge precinct and the other around the Maitland Station precinct,” NSW Community Engagement Coordinator Raechel Squires said.
“These two areas were significantly impacted by not only the infamous 1955 flood, but many previous major floods, with photos on the DVD dating back to 1893.”
Mr Bogan has spent hundreds of hours researching the flood and has acquired more than 400 photos of it from various sources.
A highlight of the tours was the surprise on faces when they could stand in the exact location the photo was taken, some with many feet of floodwater over their heads. I grew up in Horseshoe Bend, and can clearly recall the floodwaters rushing in like waves on the ocean,
- Historian Peter Bogan
When Mr Bogan shared a selected few photographs of the flood with the Mercury on Wednesday, a few images caught his eye.
Mr Bogan said a navy helicopter was using Pender’s timber yard to land. The yard, which was in Elgin Street near the Coach and Horses Hotel, is where Mr Bogan and his family had taken refuge.
One of the images showed a young boy who was walking through the debris.
”He had a rope around his waist to hold his pants up,” he said, suggesting the boy had lost everything in the flood.
”Look at the debris he is walking through with no shoes on.”
Belinda-Jane Davis
Passionate about community news
Passionate about community news
