Bucketing Down
Community Spirit During the 1955 Narrabri Flood
Narrabri is understood to mean ‘forked waters’ in the Kamilaroi language, its location being at the convergence of three waterways – the Namoi River, Narrabri Creek and Three Horses Arms Creek.
Unrelenting rain in 1955 saw these waterways swell, causing the agricultural town to flood. With water rising rapidly, many residents took a handful of their belongings and evacuated their homes in search of refuge.
This refuge was provided by Jack and Irene Primo, owners of the Commercial Hotel on Maitland Street, who had moved to Narrabri only two years earlier.
Residents slept on the pub verandah, keeping them just above the five to six feet floodwater. Locals remembering the disaster recall Jack and Irene’s hospitality, not only during this time but as pillars of the settler community. In the aftermath of the flood and cleanup, the couple welcomed residents once again with open arms and kegs for a morale-boosting party.
As the inscription notes, Jack and Irene were awarded this champagne bucket in ‘appreciation for their assistance given to the public during the Narrabri flood, February 1955.’ With embellished decorative detail, the bucket’s design combines beauty and functionality in a demonstration of enduring community gratitude.
Gifted commemorative vessels such as this were intended to last a lifetime. It’s only in the last year that Jack and Irene’s champagne bucket was donated to the Narrabri and District Historical Society, continuing to represent a story of community spirit forged in the face of natural disaster.
