Courage and community: Ingham stands strong after floods

The town of Ingham in Australia’s tropical North Queensland region is no stranger to flooding. Many residents vividly recall the devastation of the 1967 floods, which saw the Herbert River rise above a staggering 15.2 metres.

Though the February 2025 floods fell just short of the 1967 record, the close-knit community of 4,500 was rocked by two fatalities and destruction that was more widespread than ever before. Hundreds of homes were left without power and running water, with residents banding together to ration food, fresh water and generators.

Two of these homes belonged to members of CBA’s Ingham branch team, including Cinzia McEwen, who has managed the branch for 16 years.

“It’s certainly been a trying time for our community - we have seen some who have lost everything and others only minor damage, but we all went through the same flood and have been affected one way or the other,” Cinzia said.

“The support that we all provided to each other in this time was outstanding and I am proud to be a part of this community as we work together to return to our homes, jobs and lives.”

Area Manager Cheries Macintosh spoke about how Cinzia showed up for her team and community, while the home she had been preparing to put on the market became inundated with torrents of flood water.

“Cinzia was incredible – she volunteered at the local takeaway shop and convenience store, which had become hubs for the community to get a warm meal and charge their phones. She donated her personal phone and connected to the shop’s portable internet so people could let family and friends know they were safe,” Cheries said.

“She really went above and beyond to check on her team and did everything she could to support the local community. She was integral in getting CBA’s Ingham branch up and running as quickly as we did.”

After being forced to close along with most stores in the community, the branch had suffered considerable damage. There was no power, the roof needed urgent repairs and the ATM was down. All roads in and out of Ingham were closed, with essential tradespeople unable to access the branch.

Cinzia and Cheries worked tirelessly to get the Ingham branch operational, helping vulnerable customers who had no access to cash while the ATM remained out of order. Permission was granted to travel over the ADF-controlled temporary bridge, which allowed a contractor to repair the ATM so customers had essential access to cash.

“Our customers, along with other community members, were extremely grateful that we were able to get our ATM back up and operational. A lot of businesses could only make cash sales, and restoring access to cash meant the community could purchase items necessary to survive while our power, telecommunication providers and water supply were down,” Cinzia said.

As the rain raged on, the team faced further challenges when the temporary bridge was unexpectedly removed, and the remaining tradespeople were unable to get access to the branch.

“We urgently needed confirmation from a qualified builder that our building was safe for staff and customers to enter, so we extensively researched local contractors and possible access points to get builders and electricians to the branch via helicopter,” Cheries said.

“Cinzia volunteered herself to collect tradespeople from the other side of bridge, as our only staff member on the ground able to get through safely.”

By the time the branch was preparing to reopen, Ingham had spent over a week underwater. The town was facing a mammoth clean-up ahead, with many mourning destroyed homes, livelihoods, treasured possessions and some grieving for lost loved ones.

“Local community members in Townsville started up a community donation site to assist the Ingham community with essential supplies needed to assist with clean-up,” Cheries said.

“David Richards, our Townsville Branch Manager, and I sourced up to $5,000 worth of supplies for the Ingham community. Together we were able to source several trolley loads of supplies including linen, mould removal products, buckets, mops - the works.”

The Ingham branch welcomed customers back on February 11.

“I knew a lot of our customers were waiting on our reopening, so I was delighted we were able to get the branch to full-service again and extend our opening hours on the first day,” Cheries said.

“To ensure we could remain open, a few of us from Townsville took three modes of transport to safely get to work at the Ingham branch, with several team members still unable to make it to the branch.”

As the Ingham community rebuilds and recovers together, Cheries is immensely proud of the resilience and dedication shown by the North Queensland staff.

“Every single day, our frontline staff around the country show their commitment to their communities, whether it’s through hosting free seminars at the branch or volunteering at local events.

“It gives all of us here courage and heart to know we will always show up for each other when disaster strikes, and our teams will always help any way they can."

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