More than $215,000 awarded to 12 prevention, preparedness and recovery projects

FRRR and Suncorp Group have awarded $216,269 in grants to 12 community projects that will support the ongoing resilience building and recovery efforts of remote, rural and regional Queensland communities impacted by Cyclones Jasper and Kirrily.

It has been almost 10 months since Cyclone Jasper crossed the Far North coast (13 December 2023) causing widespread destruction and nine months since Cyclone Kirrily crossed the North Queensland coast (25 January 2024) and became a state-wide disaster event, as the rain moved south and west causing major flooding (3 February 2024).

Funded through the Rebuilding Futures program, the 12 grants will enable local not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) to invest in community infrastructure and equipment, strengthen organisational capacity and provide improved access to services and activities.

Nina O’Brien, FRRR’s Disaster Resilience & Recovery Lead, said that the timing of these grants is critical as many regional communities are wanting to be proactive and take action to prepare for the upcoming wet season and hopefully mitigate impacts.

“While the weather cannot be prevented, the impact of disasters can be lessened through good planning. For some Queensland community groups, like the Cape York Folk Club, Juunjuwarra Aboriginal Corporation and Mt Garnet Golf Club, those practical activities include cyclone-proofing facilities and upgrading infrastructure to withstand the damage of potential extreme weather events.

“In other places, there is an acceptance that cyclones and excessive rainfall are a part of life, so the focus is on using lessons learnt from the recent events.

“For Surf Life Saving Queensland’s North Barrier and North Queensland Branches, this means building capacity with volunteer training and flood rescue equipment to support and prepare them to respond to their community in future disasters. While Hinchinbrook Community Support Centre and Bloomfield River District Residents Association are finding practical ways to prepare local infrastructure to be sustainable and fit for purpose during a disaster.

“We recognise the diverse recovery and preparedness needs of communities. These needs include social connectedness and wellbeing, and access to timely information in the next disaster.

“Great examples of this include projects like Regional Development Australia Tropical North’s Creative Recovery Preparedness Training, and the Community Information Centre Townsville’s Crisis Response Directory. Both initiatives highlight the need for strong, informed and accessible resources and social networks that offer support mechanisms to help local people and places withstand the extreme challenges they are likely to face when responding to, and recovering from, the next natural disaster.

“Due to remoteness, clean-up is continuing in communities and preventing people from returning to their homes. This funding will support the work of Anglicare North Queensland and Northreach Community Care to ensure those at risk and vulnerable to homeless or food insecurity can access relief programs and other recovery services.”

“In this round of applications, we also saw remote communities and groups looking to join forces to better support their regions’ recovery. These collaborative projects, such as Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC’s Kuku Bakal Kaykayanda (Giving Words to all the Children) initiative, illustrate the varying stages of recovery that communities are at, and the challenges that remote NFPs face when supporting people through the recovery journey.

“All of the funded projects are a great demonstration of the on-the-ground resilience and preparedness mindset of regional Queensland, with communities seeking to ‘build back better’ so that they can sustain their way of life and recover effectively from disaster experiences,” Ms O’Brien explained.

Lisa Harrison, Suncorp Chief Executive Consumer Insurance, said these grants would support community-led recovery projects for regional Queensland communities impacted by severe weather events.

“We are proud to be able to help these communities get back on their feet and recover from Tropical Cyclones Kirrily and Jasper,” Ms Harrison said.

“Recovery from an extreme weather event, like a cyclone or flooding, takes time, and this round of grants from FRRR and Suncorp demonstrates that each community’s journey is different.

“Given it is less than a year since Cyclone Jasper and Cyclone Kirrily reached the Queensland coast, it is understandable that groups are focused on responding to the needs of locals, based on their community’s recovery, preparedness and prevention priorities.”

To date, the Rebuilding Futures program has distributed more than $1.2 million to 74 community NFPs across the country.

The full list of grant recipients and their projects are below.

Written by Monique Carson, IRCF Facilitator for Ulladulla

How do you capture the energy, pride and enthusiasm of a community? At the Community Expo, we discovered that it starts with creating a space where people can reconnect, share their stories, and reignite the spark that makes our local area so special.

In just three years, the South Shoalhaven ‘Community Expo’ has become a cornerstone of our local community’s journey towards resilience and connection. What began as an effort to support community recovery after the devastating 2019-20 bushfires quickly evolved into something much more powerful.

We initially set out to rebuild the links between community groups that had suffered during the fires and the COVID pandemic. Activities had dwindled and groups were struggling to adapt to a world of online connections, reduced events and limited in-person interaction. But it became clear that people deeply desired to come together and reconnect.

With the support of a $250,000 Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant, we achieved our three-year target in just the first year, underscoring the community’s readiness to rebuild. The first Expo in 2022 brought 400 attendees and 60 stalls, far surpassing our expectations. Our focus on resilience and connection resonated deeply and, as we continued, we learned about ‘Social Recovery’- witnessing first-hand the many ways community groups had directly and indirectly supported people on their recovery journeys.

Over time, we transitioned from simply running an event to creating a space where the community could bring their own ideas and energy. We moved from structured stalls to more dynamic ‘Open Spaces’ and this year, we’re excited to introduce HUBS – interactive spaces where attendees can engage on important local topics, share perspectives, identify community needs and offer services or resources.

Youth involvement has also grown significantly. From a modest beginning with two school groups, we now anticipate 400 high school students and eight youth-run stalls at our upcoming Expo on Thursday, 5 September, 2024. These students bring a vibrant energy and a wealth of ideas that enrich the event.

Throughout this journey, we’ve remained vigilant in ensuring no one is left out, continually inviting those who might be missing. The Expo has become a vital opportunity for community groups to promote their services, recruit volunteers, and grow local pride. We’ve shifted from preparing and doing everything ourselves to hosting a space where the community’s unique contributions shine. It’s truly inspiring to see how the Community Expo has grown into a celebration of resilience, connection, and community pride.