Riverland residents recall 1956 flood, a community's resilience tested

Residents of the Riverland are reflecting on the 1956 flood, the largest flood event in South Australia's history, which left a lasting impact on the community.

John Peterson, 88, was in his first year of university when the floodwaters hit his hometown of Kingston on Murray. He remembers juggling his geochemistry degree while helping his family and community prepare for the flood.

"My father had been in Kingston on Murray since 1896, and hadn't seen anything like it," he said.

At the time, Mr. Peterson was filling sandbags and tip trucks with dirt to help protect homes from the floodwaters, which peaked at around 9.1 metres in Renmark in August 1956.

"It was amazing how high the water was. I think it was around 300,000 megalitres a day, which normally, if we got 10,000, we'd think we had a good flow," he said.

The flood destroyed or damaged numerous houses, including the local garage, shop, and bank. Mr. Peterson recalled the inconsistent predictions of water level height and timing, which meant conditions changed daily.

"Working bees were held every day, people supplied morning and afternoon tea for the work gangs on the banks," he said.

"Tip trucks made a difference. Without them the flood would have beaten us, I think."

Almost all locals were involved in the relief efforts in some way. When not covered in dirt, Mr. Peterson recorded the chaos on his Eumig C3 8mm camera.

"My parents had given me the camera for my birthday the year before, and I used to shoot anything," he said.

"I had started [filming the flood] with black and white … but because it was so dramatic, I filmed in colour."

Theo Kaesler, 78, also remembers the flood vividly. His family has lived at their Loxton property for over five generations.

"The water was like an ocean wave, and you could hear the riverbank collapsing sometimes," he said.

While his family's home was unaffected, he recalls picking oranges off his neighbour's tree via a rowboat.

"My neighbour said to my dad, 'Watch out, there might be snakes in the tree,' and [I] nearly jumped over the edge," he said.

Local historian Meredith Arnold, who was 16 during the flood, said the community's response to the disaster was remarkable.

"Quite a few men had come back from the war 10 years before, so they were accustomed to giving orders and taking orders," she said.

"That was, I think, a really big help in 56 that those men were there to lead the groups."

Mr. Peterson hopes that the community's spirit of cooperation during the flood will continue to inspire future generations.

"No matter in good times or bad or whether it's a flood or another disaster, we all need to work together," he said.

"A smile works wonders with people, and just words of encouragement or a slap on the back can lift someone's spirits."