Mid Coast Renewal Committee
The purpose of our group;
The impact of recent bushfires (2019) on individuals, our community and our environment has been profound and life-changing. The geographical scale and extent of the damage is still inconceivable for most of us, three months on. Now that we have moved past the initial disaster response, many of us are beginning to consider the recovery phase, and what that might look like. The National Disaster Recovery Principles state that recovery should always be community-led. It is also imperative that recovery strategies for the Mid Coast align with what our community actually needs.
In light of this, we felt the most effective way forward was to create a group of community members that could effectively represent the varying and individual needs of our people. We envisage this committee to include the Mid Coast region as a whole entity, pushing for renewal in multiple aspects. Given the severity of the drought that preceded the bushfires, and that the duration of the drought has compounded the effect of the bushfires for many local farmers, we will encompass drought-affected residents as part of our scope. The role of the MCRC will evolve over time, but we imagine our role initially to be to:
- Facilitate wider community meetings to engage a larger scale of residents
- Effectively communicate helpful information to local residents
- Clearly identify community needs and find the most appropriate means to help meet those needs (“see a need – fill a need”)
- Coordinate effective assistance from government bodies/various organisations
- Advocate for members of our community that may need extra assistance
- Plan community projects around the concept of “renewal”
- Support existing local community groups, and facilitate the formation of new ones
- Find ways to help support our local economic recovery
- Manage and distribute funds and grants
- Advocate for the mental health needs and wellbeing of our residents
- Address animal welfare concerns, where possible
Funding was received through the Primary Health Network (PHN) to provide support and activities for bushfire affected communities in keeping with our purpose. The attached report reflects what was achieved over 18 months.
Mid Coast Renewal Committee Final Report