UQ international student is comforted by flood support

When floods hit Brisbane recently, UQ student Sherlyn Ang had to call on friends who lived on higher ground so she could escape the rising water engulfing her street in St Lucia.

Ms Ang, an international student from Singapore, is now getting back on her feet and is thankful for all of the support she received.

“There was no electricity and the carpets, mattresses and study desks were all damaged and had to be thrown away,” Ms Ang said.

“Fortunately, my housemates and I managed to stack up most of our belongings on higher grounds, so we managed to secure almost 90 per cent of our stuff after the flood.”

Despite the damage to her home and the disruptions to her study, Ms Ang said the support she received from her friends and the university kept her in good spirits.

“I am really thankful and fortunate because many of our friends offered their houses for us to stay temporarily,” she said.

“Many of them voluntarily helped out with the transportation of all our belongings as well.

“We were not able to concentrate on doing our projects and assignments due to the flood, but thankfully the university was really sympathetic to extend the datelines.”

Ms Ang has been studying Hotel and Tourism Management at UQ for six months and will graduate at the end of 2011.

Ms Ang is still staying at a friend’s place until her St Lucia home has returned to its usual condition.

Media: Ms Ang (lynn_special@hotmail.com) or Caroline Bird at UQ Communications (07 3365 1931, c.bird1@uq.edu.au)