Premier David Crisafulli held multiple press conferences alongside the Bureau of Meteorology and Queensland authorities as Tropical Cyclone Alfred threatened south-east Queensland. (ABC News: Cameron Lang)
As Cyclone Alfred crawled towards south-east Queensland, Premier David Crisafulli was well and truly thrust into the spotlight.
It's not a new thing for Queensland leaders.
Many would remember the way the then-premier Anna Bligh rallied the state with her famous "We are Queenslanders" speech in the midst of the 2011 floods.
As countless people tuned into her press conference, Ms Bligh held back tears as she sought to buck up the spirits of a shattered state.
"We're the people that they breed tough north of the border. We're the ones that they knock down and we get up again," she declared.
In the election held a year later, Ms Bligh's Labor government was tossed out of power in a historic landslide loss.
Anna Bligh lost the 2012 state election to Campbell Newman. (AAP: Peter Wallis)
But in the immediate aftermath of that flood disaster, the then-premier's standing in the opinion polls soared.
The speech and the way Ms Bligh responded to the emergency was a defining moment in her premiership.
Anna Bligh joined volunteers in helping clean up an apartment complex in West End in January 2011. (AAP Image: Lisa Martin)
It showed her capacity to connect with people — and the shift in the polls showed people had watched her closely as the disaster unfolded.
Showing leaders beyond the soundbites
In a state that gets battered by more than its fair share of natural disasters, we have grown accustomed to these televised updates from our premiers.
In many ways, people expect these updates. They would wonder where the premier was if they didn't stand up.
Brisbane suburb of Rocklea was impacted by the floods in February 2022. (AAP: Jason O’Brien)
Annastacia Palaszczuk routinely hit the airwaves during the 2022 floods that devastated south-east Queensland.
And, of course, during the COVID pandemic (which was different in many ways to a natural disaster), Ms Palaszczuk's updates were a daily event for many.
It's in times of disaster, as our leaders respond to an emerging crisis, we see them front and centre — in action — in a way we often don't.
Annastacia Palaszczuk fronted the media alongside Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young during the COVID pandemic. (AAP Image: Dan Peled)
For those who shy away from politics, it may be the only time they really listen to their premier, because they need to heed the warnings.
You learn more about their leadership style beyond the soundbites on the news or their carefully curated social media clips.
And indeed, for many in Queensland these past few months — as we stared down two weather disasters in the north and south — we learned more about David Crisafulli.
Premier David Crisafulli met with SES members in Townsville during the north Queensland floods in February. (ABC News, Aaron Kelly)
Crisafulli's style not to 'bark orders'
The 41st premier didn't necessarily give a history making address like Ms Bligh's "We are Queenslanders" moment.
But he certainly wasn't missing in action as Ingham was awash with rain or as the south-east braced for Alfred.
As the cyclone approached and crossed the coast, Mr Crisafulli flooded the airwaves from dawn until dusk.
He was on breakfast TV and radio, gave a press conference at least once a day, and appeared live on the TV news bulletins most nights.
It was hard to miss him.
Mr Crisafulli issued warnings — and sought to inform the public about what was on the way and what the government was doing to respond to the cyclone.
David Crisafulli on ABC's News Breakfast providing an update during Tropical Cyclone Alfred. (ABC News)
But there also appeared to be a reluctance from the premier to dictate to people what they should do.
He said it wasn't his "style to bark orders at people".
He suggested he wanted to give people information and let them make an informed decision.
For example, on the Tuesday before the cyclone, an AFL match was still scheduled for the Gabba that Thursday and an NRL clash was set to be played at Lang Park on Friday.
Weather and Trump herald wild weeks ahead for federal politics
Photo shows Albanese stands at a lectern, a digital weather map behind him.
Instead of telling the sporting codes the matches couldn't go ahead, Mr Crisafulli said he was leaving it to them to decide what to do.
"We're giving them information, and like all Queenslanders, we want them to make the call," he said.
"We're treating them as we are with residents.
"I'll stand in front of you every day and I'll take your calls, and we'll give you information and on the back of that people will make the right decision."
The AFL subsequently postponed two of their matches and the NRL relocated theirs.
The premier followed a similar path in the aftermath of the cyclone when he left it to principals and local QBuild staff to determine when schools should reopen.
Hundreds of schools were closed across Queensland and New South Wales on account of Cyclone Alfred. (ABC News: Erin Byrnes)
These twin disasters in the north and south of the state were Mr Crisafulli's first big test as premier.
Many got their first real glimpse of him at work — and a sense of what to expect from him in the future.
This is only the start of his time in office. He will undoubtedly face more natural disasters like this in the years ahead.
After all, to borrow somewhat from Anna Bligh, we are Queensland.