Bathurst SES crews help Tobin family in recent flood event

On Monday, November 14, water tore through Bathurst resulting in the Macquarie River almost reaching a record high, peaking at 6.65 metres.

Creeks and rivers around the region also experienced significant flooding, including the one that goes through the Tobin's property at Glanmire, about 20 minutes out of Bathurst.

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After recently losing her husband to cancer, Libby Tobin now lives on the family's farm with their three children, and without the help of SES crews she doesn't know what she would have done.

"It's obviously a really big thing that has happened in our lives, and then to have the flood happen and be isolated and feel so helpless and not know what to do, the SES really made the world of difference to me," Mrs Tobin said.

Part of the Tobin's driveway includes a bridge that goes over the creek.

While the bridge was strong enough to withstand the serious flooding, the water made an alternate path which resulted in the ground falling away around it.

The floodwater had also washed down giant branches and debris which all got caught on the bridge.

Mrs Tobin said they couldn't even walk through once the water receded to meet someone on the other side to get groceries.

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"The creek was just smashed and the bridge just had trees like you wouldn't believe on it and then it had fallen away on one end of the bridge and a new creek was actually created. It was pretty full on," she said.

"Because there was so much stuff and all the trees and everything it was too hard to even get groceries because you literally had to climb up and over the trees that were on the bridge so you couldn't carry groceries back."

When the SES arrived, they cleared a pathway across the bridge so the family could walk across to get groceries from the other side.

Then they filled in part of the washed away creek bed and helped Mrs Tobin get her ute across, so until a more permanent fix occurs, they can walk down and across the creek and then drive into town.

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"We've got an excavator here today, we still can't drive over it, the ute's on the other side still so we still do the walk down and walk over," Mrs Tobin said.

"But the excavator is here trying to fill the gap between the driveway and the bridge."

Mrs Tobin said while it was stressful not being able to leave their property, she was just happy that their house wasn't damaged and that her and her children were safe.

She said the SES were a huge comfort to her and even followed up with phones calls to check in after they had performed their operation.

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