As Lions district governor Beverley Bates comforted evacuees in a basketball stadium in the Lockyer Valley, she was clearly emotional.

“We will never be able to fully express our thanks for what the Nowra Lions Club has done,” she said.

“What a wonderful effort – I was absolutely amazed.”

When Nowra Lions Club president Bob Wright first contacted Mrs Bates, he thought the club could send 100 cartons of clothes within a few days.

“Then when 280 cartons arrived I couldn’t believe it,” Mrs Bates said.

“The spirit and generosity of the people of Nowra is something I’ll always remember.

“Considering what’s happened here since it will be so wonderful to give something to those who have lost everything.

“It’s great to think people so geographically removed from us wanted to give.”

Mrs Bates’ district takes in a massive region from the Queensland coast to the South Australian border.

She estimated that only one town in her entire district had not been affected directly by the flood.

“I feel devastated, I’m concerned about my people at home, although I’m kept up to date with what’s happening. I don’t know what my own personal situation is yet because I’m in an evacuation centre about an hour away.

“I’m very distressed about people who have lost loved ones. That’s the story all through my district.

“I was outside the evacuation centre and a guy walked in and told me he’d just lost everything and he was here to help other people.

“It’s amazing how everybody responds in these situations,” she said.

Meanwhile, local state and federal politicians have teamed up to provide wide-ranging assistance for flood-affected areas in Queensland and northern NSW.

Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock has been accepting cash donations and Gilmore MP Jo Gash is taking a register of residents who can donate their time to the recovery effort.

Contact Mrs Hancock’s office to make a cash donation on 4421 0222, or Mrs Gash’s office to register your availability for the clean-up on 4423 1782.