Boost for Hunter recovery effort ahead of summer season

Published on 14 December 2021

From vital equipment such as UHF radios and telecommunications to community gatherings and events, more than $60,000 has been awarded to 15 community projects to promote emergency preparedness and reconnect people across the Singleton local government area following the devastating 2019/2020 bushfires and most recently, floods.

Resilience NSW Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons today met with the successful applicants under Singleton Council’s Bushfire Community Wellbeing and Connectedness program.

The program is funded by the Bushfire Community Recovery and Resilience Fund (BCRRF), which is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State governments and provided funding for councils and communities affected by the 19/20 bushfires.

Funding was available to community groups in the Singleton LGA for amounts between $2,500 and $5,000 for initiatives such as:

• social events and community connect initiatives that bring impacted communities back together by way of support, engagement or education;
• community events that educate or seek to develop disaster recovery plans for future preparedness; and
• community initiatives that support the social wellbeing and/or disaster preparedness of the group.

The projects also complement Council’s work with the communities across the LGA to develop emergency preparedness tailored to the needs of particular locations, such as the Putty Valley, Jerrys Plains, Broke and Bulga.

Commissioner Fitzsimmons commended the funding recipients and Singleton Council for their vital contributions to the bushfire recovery.

“Like so many areas across our State, the Hunter region has experienced the unprecedented compounding impacts of drought, bushfires, storms and floods and COVID,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.

“This program is a fantastic example of community-led recovery at work and I want to thank all the recipients and Singleton Council for doing  their part to make a difference for local communities.

“We continue to work closely with communities as they recover from the bushfires and recent storms and floods.”

Council’s Acting General Manager Vicki Brereton said Commissioner Fitzsimmons’ visit and the announcement of the funding was a welcome way to end what has been another challenging year, including the flood at the weekend.

“To say that the past couple of years have been difficult and challenging for our community, and particularly those areas in our LGA that have been directly impacted by bushfires and even more recently, floods, is an understatement,” she said.

“There have been many lessons learned the hard way, and Council has been working very closely with affected communities to make sure those experiences are used to help all of us to be better prepared next time.

“Recovery is an important part of this process, and bringing the community together particularly after the devastation of the 2019/2020 bushfires and any emergency event is an important way we can help each other to heal.

“Each of these 15 projects will deliver positive outcomes for everyone in our community, whether it’s a direct response to an emergency event or reconnecting afterwards, and I sincerely thank the Commissioner and the Resilience NSW team for their support.”

The full list of projects is:

ENDS