Today we acknowledge the 5th anniversary of the Black Summer bushfires which lasted for 64 days, destroying 467 homes and about 1,000 sheds and outbuildings, and sadly lives were also lost.
For many today, the anniversary of the Black Summer bushfires will bring back memories and emotional responses. Recovery is an ongoing process and everyone is at a different stage in their personal recovery journey.
It's important we continue to look after each other by reaching out and checking on our friends, neighbours and loved ones to make sure they are okay.
The end of 2019 and the first half of 2020 was a time without comparison, and the ultimate test for our community.
A threat of this scale was unprecedented, and many organisations, community groups and individuals worked hard to get our community back on its feet.
By working together as a community, we moved forward on recovery with hard work and determination. The resilience and strength of the Bega Valley community was awe-inspiring and still is.
During the first couple of years after the bushfires, Council focused on supporting community recovery and prioritised works tied to strict grant timeframes. Our emergency and rebuilding works for 2020 alone totalled $30 million as we rebuilt and repaired after fires and floods.
Federal and state funding continued to flow into the community through grants such as the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund which many of our community organisations accessed.
Our Community Recovery Contribution Program was launched in November 2020 and by the time all funds had been expended in May 2021, the program had contributed almost $54,000 to support 23 significant and meaningful events and activities across the shire.
The Bega Valley Community Disaster Relief Fund, a partnership between Council and the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast was created to extend and support community wellbeing in the wake of compounding natural disasters.
Federal and state funding continued to flow into the community through grants such as Round 2 of the BLERF, the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program and the Reconnecting Regional NSW Community Events Program.
Even after five years we are still working with our community to rebuild. The most significant post-bushfire result this year was the official opening of the new Kiah and Wandella halls, both destroyed during the Black Summer bushfires. Council worked closely with both communities to rebuild fit-for-purpose halls that will meet their community's needs now and into the future.
There isn't a specific anniversary year that marks recovery. Each person's journey is unique, and the timeframe for recovery can't be confined to a set number of years.
Growth after trauma is possible for everyone, but it only happens by continuing to take good care of yourself and those important to you. It takes time to work through what has happened.
If the anniversary of the Black Summer bushfires affects you, help is available from:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
13Yarn: 139 276
Headspace: 1800 650 890
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
