@lifedownunder25: On 10 January 2011, an inland tsunami of floodwater tore through the streets of Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley, sweeping away homes, vehicles, and trees in minutes. Stranded on the roof of their submerged car in raging floodwaters at an intersection, 43-year-old Donna Rice and her two sons—13-year-old Jordan and 10-year-old Blake—clung to each other as the water surged around them. Local rescuer Warren McErlean managed to wade out into the torrent with a safety rope to reach the family. Jordan, who was terrified of water and could not swim, looked at the rescuer and uttered four words that broke the heart of a nation: "Take my brother first." McErlean pulled young Blake to safety. But before he could return for the others, the rope snapped under the pressure of the current, and Jordan and his mother were swept away in the flood. Jordan’s instinct to put his younger brother’s survival ahead of his own life in the face of absolute terror was recognized with the Australian Bravery Medal. More than a decade later, his courage remains one of the most heartbreaking and inspiring examples of unconditional brotherly love this country has ever seen. Do you remember where you were during the Queensland floods when Jordan’s story first touched the nation? SOURCE: Queensland Police Service Bravery Citations; Australian Honours Secretariat (Bravery Medal); 2011 Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry. #queensland #floods #hero #gonetoosoon #lifedownunder 💔

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Thursday 22 October 2026 21:42:14 GMT