A former NRL star has risked his life to rescue neighbours and their horses from murky floodwaters before he and his family were forced to abandon their own flooded home.
Ben Hannant, his wife Emma and their eight children had no choice but to flee after their Tallebudgera Valley property on Gold Coast’s outskirts was inundated with water on Monday morning.
The family moved their belongings and horses to higher ground before fleeing to stay with relatives.
But not before a sleepless night where the former Maroons Origin star and his teenage son Kye rushed to the aid of motorists stuck in floodwaters and helped neighbours move their cars and caravan.
Ben Hannant and his family were forced to flee their flooded property on Monday morning
When friends from a nearby pony club needed urgent help, the heroic pair didn’t hesitate in diving into murky waters in the early morning darkness to save the horses with water ‘up to their neck’.
They also had to help neighbour Wendy and her two teen daughters Charlie and Jess to safer ground. The trio aren’t strong swimmers.
‘I swam in with my son … I’m really proud, he’s only 16,’ Hannant told his Sea FM breakfast radio colleagues on Monday morning.
‘We went in, we got the horses. We had to navigate through closed fences that were underwater, horses stepping on our feet.
‘(We) got them out to safety but then the three people whose horses they were couldn’t swim either and were struggling.’
‘He helped one and I helped the two.’
‘All the horses made it, everyone is safe, which is the main thing,
A heartbroken Hannant later revealed on air his family had to evacuate after water inundated their home.
‘It’s not too good. We’re just about to leave the house. It’s not the best day,’ he said.
The Hannants led their horses to higher ground before fleeing their flooded property
‘It’s just like most people on the Gold Coast, we work so hard to have what we have.
‘It’s just a shame that a natural disaster like this happens.’
‘It’s not just me. There’s so many people around here doing it tough. We’ve just got to stay strong and get through it together.’
‘Now we all we can do now is wait and see what the damage is.’
The 245-game prop was inundated with prayers and best wishes from former NRL teammates and opponents after he uploaded footage of water entering his home and leading their horses to higher ground.
On Tuesday’s program, neighbour Charlie, 16 recalled how Hannant saved the lives of her, mum Wendy and younger sister Jess, 13.
‘We ended up in a fair bit of trouble,’ Charlie recalled.
Ben Hannant and is family had to wade through their flooded property to escape
‘We had to drive through flood water and as soon as we knew it we couldn’t see any fences and we were up to our necks in water, and if it wasn’t for Ben probably my little sister wouldn’t be here.
‘Ben threw Jess over his shoulders and carried her out like a little flood rescue mission.’
‘They really helped us. The horse would have drowned, we would have drowned but they were all averted.’
Hannant admitted he and his son knew they were risking their lives.
‘We knew the horse was part of their family and meant so much to them,’ he said.
‘I know you shouldn’t go in floodwaters, I get it but when sometimes it’s worth risking everything as we knew how much the horses meant to them.’
The former NRL star turned Sea FM breakfast radio co-host (pictured) with wife Emma has no regrets about risking his own life to save others
Hannant was reluctant to take all the credit.
‘My son Kye was amazing. I wouldn’t have been able to get out with him going ahead,’ he added.
‘We couldn’t see anything. It was full of water and he was finding ways to navigate. It was like a blind maze.’
