Macleay River Flood 1949 - Kempsey, NSW, Australia
S 31° 04.766 E 152° 50.450
56J E 484817 N 6561583
A poignant Community Commemoration plaque remembers the deaths of SIX locals in the 1949 flood.
Waymark Code: WM19VA2
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 04/15/2024
Views: 0
"In August 1949, the Macleay River in north eastern New South Wales caused major flooding in Kempsey and the lower Macleay floodplain. The flood destroyed numerous homes and the rescue efforts were severely hampered after the phone lines went down and the local radio station went off air. About 2000 people were made homeless in Kempsey and many shops were severely damaged and stock ruined." [ex-Monuments Australia website link below]
A rectangular bronze plaque is embedded in a rough-edged, rectangular grey granite block at a slight tilt, set into a small concrete slab behind a stone retaining wall of the landscaped garden of the car park. The inscription of the plaque reads:
IN MEMORY OF LIVES LOST
This plaque commemorates the 60th Anniversary of the 1949 Macleay River flood
and remembers with respect and dignity the six people
whose lives were lost during that tragic event.
These were:
* Patrick Connelly (71) and Margaret Connelly (72)
brother and sister of Eden Street, Kempsey
* Leslie John Baker (9) and Julie Baker (2)
brother and sister of Belgrave Street, Kempsey
* William Hugginson (78) of Verge Street, Kempsey
* James Plummer (13) of Clybucca
28th August 2009
Visited: 1506, Sunday, 25 June, 2023