IPSWICH: As a massive flood engulfs our namesake city on the other side of the world, you have your chance to help those facing disaster.

Today, The Evening Star launches a new campaign – Ipswich United – to offer real help to those who have lost everything in the floods in Ipswich, Queensland.

So far 14 people have died in and around Ipswich – a city of almost exactly the same size as our own town.

The campaign here has been launched by the Star and the Ipswich Building Society which has contributed �1,000 to get it rolling.

People can contribute by handing in money at Society branches.

The news about the support from The Star and our town moved Mayor Paul Pisasale from Ipswich in Queensland.

He said: “You are all stars! It’s tough here at the moment but it’s great to know you’re all thinking about us as well.

“It’s not just about the money – the way things are at the moment it is good to know that people in the UK are thinking about us.

“There is a very good relationship that has built up between the two Ipswichs and this news will go down very well here.”

Mr Pisasale said the death toll was continuing to rise.

He said: “As the flood waters go down we fear what we might find. We just heard that a 55-year-old man drowned in his car.”

This year’s floods are the worst to have hit the area for a generation – the last time Ipswich was inundated like this was in 1974.

The staff of the Ipswich edition of the Queensland Times have found themselves at the centre of a dreadful story.

Linda Brady, from the newspaper, said that last night the death toll from the area stood at 14. Of these four had died in a small community called Grantham just outside Ipswich itself.

But Ms Brady said the stoical Aussies were getting on with picking themselves up from the disaster.

She said: “We’ve had some tough times with the weather – we had the bush fires in Victoria last year and there has been flooding here before. We Aussies are a tough lot. As soon as the water level goes down we’ll start rebuilding the place again.”

n Tell us about your fundraising efforts for the flood victims. Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.