Floods Exhibition
Held: During River Festival 2006
Floods have always been a part of life in the Tweed. For many they are sharp childhood memories, repeated again and again over a lifetime, each with their own uniqueness and sameness - an unpredictable rhythm of the life for the people of the Tweed.
Historical records for over a century reflect how the flood has affected settlement patterns, transport, commerce, architecture, agriculture and industry.
Letters, personal diaries, newspaper reports and official and family photographs capture impressions of the flood from each generations perspective; wonder at the power of nature, dismay over loss and destruction, and the common sense of relief and renewal as the flood recedes.
No great floods were recorded until 1921, when the first severe flood was extensively documented. Likewise, the great floods of 1954 and 1956 bought large-scale damage to public and private property that etched them too into history.
These photographs in and around Murwillumbah from the collections of Tweed River Regional Museum provide a rare insight into how our unique valley and subtropical environment shapes our character.
Acknowledgements:
Exhibition Coordinator - Kath Prichard
Research - Kath Prichard and Ron Johansen and members of Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah and Uki and South Arm Historical Societies.
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