This is somewhat off-topic, but a story that I’m finding particularly important at this point.

Tonight the people in and around the NSW rural city of Maitland wait to see how high the Hunter River will rise and whether flood waters will spread.  It’s a situation of personal interest to me as Maitland is the home town of the Barden family – my dad was a chlid in Maitland during the famous flood of 1955.  None of our relatives are currently under threat (to the best of our knowledge), but it’s still concerning.

Being two hours’ drive away in Sydney, I naturally began searching the Internet for news on what is happening.  The Sydney television station news sites were about as useful as their news coverages; showing quickly dating video footage, and light on the specifics.  In an age of instant information, finding the latest and exactly what is happening where became frustrating.

Confident in the reliability of our national broadcaster, I turned to ABC News’ website and, following a link here and there, struck an information goldmine.  Since the severe storms and flooding in nearby Newcastle on Friday, ABC Radio Newcastle 1233 AM has been streaming their broadcasting live over the Internet.  Interested people are listening from all parts of the globe.  There is simply no more comprehensive or authoritative source available.  Their input from local callers, and the work of their staff, have resulted in first-class coverage.  Regular updates from emergency and recovery teams on the ground around the Hunter region has helped bring comfort and confidence to a disaster-stricken community.  Many listener-posted photographs can help give us Sydneysiders (and others further afield) a sense of just what’s happening “out-of-town” besides the running aground of a coal tanker on Nobby’s Beach.

This is yet another excellent example of why ABC funding must remain a high priority for our federal government.

It’s also a lesson on how we need to teach children to be critical locators and selectors of information.  As many of us experienced web users know, the first source that comes up in Google search is not always the best.

At last report, the Hunter River at Maitland was at 11.4 metres, less than half a metre from the top of the levee bank.  Let’s hope that it stays at this forecast peak.

Finally, as a Catholic school teacher, my thoughts go out to Maitland-Newcastle’s Catholic Schools, that will remain closed on Tuesday while their staff assess any damage from storms and flooding.