OVER the last 20 years the Downs-Lockyer Roads and Street directory has become a bible for those meandering the back roads of southern Queensland and even helped emergency services navigate through the January floods.

Yesterday a delivery of the newest edition was collected fresh off the press by directory creator Jonathan Rudduck picked up the final product from the APN Print site in Warwick, after months of hard work.

Mr Rudduck said a new edition was published when stock of the previous edition sold out and it was after strong sales throughout the January floods, he went back to the drawing board.

“I am at Gatton Sunmap Agency and I got called into Gatton by the emergency services,” he said.

“All the maps I had were gone, the emergency services, rural fire brigade and Energex all used them.”

Mr Rudduck – who had a background in town planning – was modest when asked about his contribution to the flood disaster response, but there was no doubt, his years of mapping certainly helped.

“I am very pleased people have appreciated the work,” he said.

The hand-drawn maps included smaller streets and roads which didn’t always make it into bigger directories and Mr Rudduck said this was the biggest edition yet.

The idea for the directory came to Mr Rudduck more than two decades ago when his car broke down.

“The RACQ man came and poured out all of his problems to me about how there were no decent maps. He pulled out this shoe box full of maps,” he said.

“It started out just for Lockyer and than the firies, ambos and police pleaded I go a little further.

To grab the eighth edition of the Downs-Lockyer Roads and Street directory email Jonathan Rudduck on jrrudduck@skymesh.com.au.