Article: New CityCat honours Brisbane's flood heroes

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New CityCat honours Brisbane's flood heroes

New CityCat honours Brisbane's flood heroes
Tony Moore
October 4, 2011 - 3:00AM

Brisbane's Mud Army, which drew arms in the form of gloves, gumboots, shovels and brooms in the wake of January's flood, will be honoured this morning with the launch of a special new CityCat.

The Spirit of Brisbane, Brisbane's 19th CityCat, features a montage of large photographs along the ceiling  depicting some of the clean-up work performed by about 25,000 volunteers in the wake of the disaster.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and Red Cross Australia's Julie Boucher will launch the Spirit of Brisbane at the newly rebuilt West End ferry terminal this morning.

"I believe the delivery of the 19th CityCat is also a sign of Brisbane's resilience and determination to get back to business after the floods, which is why I wanted it to be a permanent tribute to the spirit shown by the residents of this city," Cr Quirk said.

"Let's not forget that on top of delivering two CityCats this year we've also had to rebuild much of the entire ferry network, including the eight ferry terminals that were completely washed away."

The Orleigh Park CityCat terminal at West End was one of the facilities destroyed in the January floods.

The Spirit of Brisbane is the first CityCat not to be given an Aboriginal name, and Cr Quirk said a special colour scheme was chosen for the new vessel.

Cr Quirk said the CityCat's blue represented the sky and river, the green reflected new growth after the floods and the maroon showed the Queensland spirit.

"The yellow recognises the way the sun shone through the clouds to help dry up the flood waters," he said.

The $2.5 million Spirit of Brisbane is a third-generation CityCat, which comes equipped with a more fuel-efficient engine than its predecessors.

In February, Brisbane City Council revealed more than 450,000 cubic tonnes of household walls, timber and waste, including 240,000 tonnes of flood-damaged furniture, household belongings, toys, and family memories, were collected by Mud Army volunteers and council staff and taken to council dumps.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/new-citycat-honours-brisbanes-flood-heroes-20111003-1l57n.html