Broughton expresses flood of thanks

Natasha Percy | 27 March 2007

Font size: + - | print | email to a friend

To the naked eye, the grounds of Broughton Anglican College look their usual self.

But this ‘normal’ scene is a far cry from the afternoon of February 28, when a flash flood hit the Menangle Park school, placing lives in danger and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

35 cars were written off, six classrooms had damaged carpet and debris was strewn over the grounds.

A number of heroic stories have emerged from the event, and Corporate Relations Officer Alan George is compiling a newsletter to capture the experiences of some who were in the thick of the action.

One of these stories belongs to Ariel Galanto, a father of four who has two children at the school. Mr Galanto left his three children aged nine, three and nine months in the car, where he felt they would be safest, as he ran through heavy rain and hail to collect his daughter Rebecca from the senior school.

When he came out of the classroom, the flood had hit and he couldn’t see his car, which had moved 30 metres from where he had parked it.

“What seemed like a wave of water was coming down from the hills,” he recalls.

As he ran towards the carpark, he says he had an odd feeling of peace, even though he was afraid of what might have happened.

“I always believed God was in control,” he says.

The three youngsters had been chatting happily in the car, unaware that the water had reached halfway up the doors, as the windows had fogged up. Once nine-year-old Caleb noticed his feet were wet, the car started to move and he tried everything to get somebody’s attention, says Mr Galanto.

Miraculously, the windscreen squirters came on, which got the attention of the school groundsmen, who were checking cars for anyone trapped inside.

“I believe God was there with them, making things work,” Mr Galanto says.

By the time the groundsmen had ferried the children to safety, helped by a parent, the water was at chest level, and one of the rescuers started being swept towards the roadway.

The men were swept over the school fence. However, two cars blocking the drainage system in the embankment between the school and the road lessened the flow of water and the three managed to stay afloat by holding onto a tree.

Mr Galanto’s children have written cards to the three men to thank them for their bravery in rescuing them. The children are coping well, he says, although the effects are still with him. “I’m still emotional at times,” he says.

“But I was looking after their welfare, not mine… Thank goodness I have a good network around me.”

Keith de Franck was another parent whose car was swept away when he went to pick up sons Alastair, 9 and Nicholas, 6 from the college.

Although he waded through water that was chest-high, Mr de Franck says he was powerless to do anything.

“The boys were quite shocked,” he says. “They couldn’t believe it when they saw the car bobbing away.”

The loss of the uninsured car hit the family hard, as Mr de Franck’s wife suffers from leukaemia.

“For the last eight months, we’ve been going back and forwards from Liverpool Hospital, so to lose the car was a big shock,” he says.

Seeing their need, Aaron Bell, a parent and owner of a local car dealership, replaced the de Franck’s 1994 Ford Falcon.

Mr de Franck says his family has been touched by Mr Bell’s generosity.

“There’s no words to express our gratitude. He (Mr Bell) has a kind spirit and it’s made a lot of difference to my wife.”

Mr de Franck is also appreciative of the school’s handling of the event.

“The teachers were magnificent,” he recalls.

“They calmed the kids and looked after them.”