Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Media releases: 31 March 2021
More than $250,000 distributed to impacted regions
FRRR, in partnership with News Corp Australia, has awarded $279,940 in grants to support 12 projects in communities impacted by the Black Summer bushfires, some of whom are now facing the complexity of recovery from multiple disasters.
Funded through the News Corp Bushfire Fund, grants ranging from $15,000 to $25,000 have been awarded to community groups in fire-affected regions across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.
The funding will go toward community initiatives that support infrastructure rebuilding and social recovery, such as helping people connect; alleviating pressure on volunteers; or critical upgrades to communities’ facilities, activity that will build community capacity and preparedness for future disasters.
Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, explained that several of the recipient communities are now dealing with floods, which makes it all the more important to support them and get this funding on the ground.
“Local not-for-profit organisations and community groups are responding to complex and intersecting challenges. The recovery of many bushfire-affected communities was significantly hampered by COVID-19 restrictions and many are only now starting to make inroads,” Ms Egleton said.
“Some communities are also navigating the ongoing impact of drought while in other areas, the recent flooding will add further to the complexity. However, the underlying issues that these projects were seeking to address will still be there, so these grants are critical to continuing recovery.
“Where project challenges arise due to the flooding, we will work closely with these communities to ensure they are supported to adapt their plans and deliver on the goals they have for local recovery.
“It’s wonderful to partner with an organisation like News Corp Australia, who have committed support to these fire affected communities over the last year that has allowed us to be flexible and respond as different needs emerge and the recovery journey evolves,” Ms Egleton explained.
News Corp Australia’s community ambassador, Penny Fowler, said the strength of these fire-affected communities is truly inspiring.
“Many of the communities supported with this funding have felt the effect of multiple natural disasters over the last few years – whether drought, flood or fires – yet they continue to move forward. The importance of having well-equipped community facilities that enable people to come together to support one another, or to get back to some semblance of ‘normal’ came through really strongly this round,” Ms Fowler said.
“We are very pleased to be able to work with FRRR to ensure that those community groups on the ground, doing the heavy lifting and supporting their people, have what they need to continue to do so.”
Some of the projects funded include:
- Container of Dreams Limited – Drake, NSW – Covered Work Area for Tiny House Building – $25,000 – Build an undercover work area, so that no matter the weather conditions, volunteers can safely build tiny houses for those still homeless following the fires.
- Upper Murray Innovation Foundation / Thowgla Community Recovery Committee – Thowgla Valley, VIC – Thowgla Valley Fire Preparedness – $23,095 – Improve the community’s preparedness to respond to future fire events, and other disasters, by purchasing portable fire-fighting equipment and UHF radios, strengthening community resilience.
- Granite Belt Art and Craft Trail Incorporated – Stanthorpe, QLD – Granite Belt Art and Craft Trail – $25,000 – Employ a coordinator to address volunteer fatigue and enable the ongoing delivery of a largely volunteer-run art events program to help drive local engagement and attract tourists.
- Mount Torrens and Districts Community Association Incorporated – Mount Torrens, SA – Dunnfield Community Space – $25,000 – Increase community connections by creating a playground, reflection and meeting spaces, and a community garden in the Dunnfield Community Space using timber from the fire ground.
FRRR encourages all grant seekers to subscribe to our eNews and social media channels to be alerted when other funding opportunities are announced, and to be inspired to develop their own community-led projects.
Visit here for more information on FRRR’s grant programs to support communities before, during, and after a natural disaster or drought, and build communities’ climate resilience. Anyone wanting to directly support medium to long-term flood recovery can do so at https://frrr.org.au/giving/flood-recovery-appeal/.
A full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.
| Organisation | Project | Location | Grant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEW SOUTH WALES | ||||||
| Blicks Community Incorporated | Community Action Plan: Rebuilding Together - Our Sustainable Environment Enable the community to recover from bushfires and better prepare for future emergencies by developing an Environmental Sustainability plan. | Dundurrabin | $25,000 | |||
| Broulee Surfers Surf Life Saving Club Incorporated | Kitchen Renovation Improve the club's ability to support and service the community during times of emergency through kitchen renovations at the club house. | Broulee | $25,000 | |||
| Container of Dreams Limited | Covered Work Area for Tiny House Building Improve the capability of Container of Dreams by building an undercover work area allowing volunteers to build tiny houses in all weather conditions for displaced community members. | Drake | $25,000 | |||
| Eden Community Access Centre Incorporated | Power for the People Enhance the efficiency of the Eden Community Access Centre by installing solar electricity to support the reduction of running costs and provide a more reliable power source during times of emergency. | Eden | $22,500 | |||
| Melanoma and Skin Cancer Advocacy Network Limited (BlazeAid) | Bushfire Recovery: Keeping Volunteers Sun Safe and Skin Serious! Improve BlazeAid's capability to protect volunteer health by providing broad brimmed sun hats to be worn when they are supporting the rebuild of community infrastructure. | Cobargo | $15,000 | |||
| Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance | Making the Moruya Pre-School Kindergarten a Heatwave and Bushfire Haven for Young Children and Their Parents Improve the Moruya Pre-School's ability to prepare their facility to protect young families of the community by upgrading fire defence systems and installing solar electricity at the centre. | Moruya | $25,000 | |||
| The Big Scrub Orchestra | Rebuilding Lives of Children Experiencing Trauma from the 2019/20 Bushfires with Music Encourage children's recovery and learning through music by providing access to big band music experience in the Richmond Valley region. | Rappville | $25,000 | |||
| QUEENSLAND | ||||||
| Granite Belt Art and Craft Trail Incorporated | Granite Belt Art and Craft Trail Boost the capability of Granite Belt Art and Craft Trail Incorporated to deliver art events across the Granite Belt region by employing an event coordinator locally. | Stanthorpe | $25,000 | |||
| SOUTH AUSTRALIA | ||||||
| Kingston Brigade Lecepede CFS Group | Lacepede CFS Wellbeing Retreat and Learning Zone Development Strengthen and support the volunteer fire brigade crew to reduce stress and increase community safety during emergencies by providing a breakout space including learning area for volunteers. | Kingston | $25,000 | |||
| Mount Torrens and Districts Community Association Incorporated | Dunnfield Community Space Help locals recover and reflect by providing a community space including playground and community garden constructed with trees recycled from local fire grounds of the 2019/20 bushfires. | Mount Torrens | $25,000 | |||
| VICTORIA | ||||||
| Tambo Upper Primary School | Historical Hall Kitchen Rebuild Expand the use of the community hall by upgrading the kitchen to provide a well-appointed facility for the community to use, particularly during times of emergency. | Tambo Upper | $19,345 | |||
| Upper Murray Innovation Foundation - Thowgla Community Recovery Committee (CRC) | Thowgla Valley Fire Preparedness Improve the community's ability to respond to future fire events by providing portable firefighting equipment and radios for the Thowgla Valley. | Thowgla Valley | $23,095 | |||
