Bushfire Recovery Shoalhaven

Shoalhaven City Council unveiled plaques on a memorial in Ulladulla that honours those who lost their lives while selflessly protecting other people and their communities during disasters and emergencies.

The Ulladulla Civic Centre Memorial Obelisk is a memorial for those lives lost by State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service, Police, Marine Rescue, Emergency Medical Services, Surf Lifesaving NSW and other Emergency Services personnel, paid or unpaid, while performing their duties in protecting the community and environment.

The first two plaques on the obelisk are for Fixed Wing Pilot David Black and Helicopter Pilot Allan Tull. Allan “Tully” Tull lost his life while fighting the Kingiman Fires in Milton in 2018. Pilot David Black died in a plane crash in October 2013 when fighting fires in Budawang National Park, west of Ulladulla.

Shoalhaven City Council Mayor, Amanda Findley, acknowledged the ultimate sacrifice given by Allan Tull and David Black.

"We send our City’s deepest condolences to Alan Tull’s and David Black’s families and to all of those who called ‘Tully’ or David a friend,” said Clr Findley.

“This memorial enables our community to show their respect and gratitude to those who have lost their lives in protecting the community and environment. It is fitting that their sacrifice will be remembered always.

“I must acknowledge the contribution of many community members, including Ulladulla-local Sandy Lanham, who has worked tirelessly to ensure the vision for the memorial has finally become a reality. This includes local police, Rural Fire Service, Rotary Club of Milton-Ulladulla, Ulladulla & Districts Community Forum, local clubs and media,” Clr Findley said.

Federal grant funding of $10,000 was received through the Stronger Communities Program for this project. In addition to this Council funds have been used and many community members have contributed to this important tribute, with funds continuing to be sourced through a community driven ‘Go Fund Me’ initiative.

A guide has been created to assist people who have been affected by bush fires. The guide takes you through the steps to rebuilding and how to get started.

When rebuilding or repairing your home, there are three main parts to keep in mind:

Part one: your level of risk

Your level of bush fire risk affects your development requirements – the higher the risk, the more protection you need. We use the term ‘bush fire attack level’, or BAL, to quantify this risk.

Part two: your approval pathway

1. Development application – this is the usual process through council

OR

2. Complying development – a fast-track process available for homes with lower level bush fire risk.

Part three: your protection measures Any home built in a bush fire prone area needs protection from bush fire through:

• access
• water and utilities
• a cleared space around the home, known as an
• asset protection zone (APZ)
• design and construction
• landscaping.

For help with other parts of your recovery

• If you feel you need to speak with someone about your experience, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or speak to your GP.
• For financial assistance, talk to Disaster Welfare Services or Centrelink.
• For agricultural assistance, talk to the NSW Department of Primary Industries or the Local Land Services

View the full Rebuilding After Bushfire guide here.

A lot has happened over the past year, and we know it hasn’t been easy, particularly with COVID-19 impacting all the ups and downs of recovery.

As we reach anniversaries that are meaningful to each of us, there may be painful memories and difficult days for many.

Through the devastation, seeing our community throughout the year, and the way people have banded together during such a tough time has been inspiring.

The holiday season can be a difficult time for some people, and this year may be particularly tough. There is no right or wrong way to feel, and people can respond to the same event in very different ways.

There’s lots of advice around, about the kind of things that can help if you’re not feeling like your usual self like getting plenty of sleep and exercise, talking to friends and family, and making time to do something you enjoy each day.

In consultation with the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, NSW Resilience, Coordinare, and the Shoalhaven Health and Wellbeing Network, Council has developed this information sheet that we hope provides some reference and contact points for the community who may need more support.

Media Release:

Today, Thursday 26 November, marks one year since the start of the Currowan Bushfires in the Shoalhaven.

Shoalhaven City Council’s Mayor, Amanda Findley said “One year on Shoalhaven City Council would like to recognise the contribution, generosity, and goodwill of those who came to the aid of Shoalhaven residents during the Currowan Bushfires”.

“There are countless residents, emergency support services, volunteer groups, and community service providers, not for profits and government agencies who went above and beyond to protect our community.

Whilst it has been a challenging year the Shoalhaven has shown it is a resilient community.

And today’s message is one of hope. We have seen and continue to see extraordinary compassion and kindness shown to our community.

Let us remember to stay connected and committed to supporting one another.

For those that need assistance, we are here to help. I encourage Shoalhaven residents to access support and services by calling Council's dedicated bushfire recovery hotline on 02 4429 5888 or to visit our website for information and resources.

For those who are able to provide support, donations to the Mayoral Relief Fund are welcomed”, Clr Findley said.

The funds from the Mayoral Relief Fund have been provided to help support individuals, families and tradespeople who have been directly impacted and need it most.

Since funds have been directed to bushfire affected ratepayers and residents across the Shoalhaven in the past 8 months, over $308,000 has been given to those in need, with further funds of $114,000 to be distributed in the next few weeks.

In early March 2020, Council organised a series of Mobile Community hubs. More recently Council has supported a series of community resilience hub sessions, organised by Service NSW, to provide bushfire recovery information and support services.

Since starting in March and resuming in September, there have been over 24 sessions held across the region. These free events will continue in 2021 and are advertised on Council’s website.

Supporting communities in bushfire recovery and COVID-19 response.

Counselling services can help people struggling with personal issues. Lifeline with the support of RACV and NRMA, is proud to be able to provide a video counselling service at no cost to those who have been impacted by recent bushfires and/or COVID-19.

Appointments are available to residents within 16 effected regions as part of this program.

Services are free and you do not require a referral.

To request a video counselling appointment visit the Lifeline website.

What to expect at your first appointment

At the beginning of your first session, a counsellor will help you clarify what is happening for you and identify your goals for counselling. You will be linked with the same counsellor at each of your video counselling appointments.

About our counsellors

To ensure a professional service, all of Lifeline’s counsellors are:

• Tertiary trained

• Practicing under the supervision of experienced psychologists and counsellors.

In a crisis please call 13 11 14. We ae here to help 24/7.

Use the links below to access Telstra's latest bushfire preparedness information.

Telstra News Exchange

Telstra Twitter

Items to take, or things to do before a fire is near your house or business:

Back up the following items on to the cloud, send an email to yourself, copy to a USB hard drive:

. treasured photos
. birth certificates
. house insurance photos – always have a photo of what your house once looked like and the contents inside of your house and keep sake items
. rates notices – get your rates notice sent via email – that way you can access details online
. birth certificates
. legal wills
. house titles / deeds
. Identification
. Service NSW / My Gov account – keep everything up in the cloud
. phone numbers – have phone numbers in a book / or in an email / when phone loses charge you can at least find a phone number of a relative
. passwords in a book or on your phone

Mobile Phones

. powerbank or car charger

Fuel

. extra fuel for generators
. those residents that went to Milton to get fuel, milk, bread on the Saturday morning could not get back to their properties as police blocks were already in place

Is your wife, mother, girlfriend, partner prepared?

. Many ‘’men’’ left on new years eve to get fuel, alcohol, NYE food and got stuck in town – many partners fought the fires by themselves and were trapped with elderly parents by themselves as well

Pool Noodle

. many stories were told to me about elderly people being sent to the water, not being able to swim – a pool noodle tucked under an arm would’ve assisted

Dog & cat / animal leash

. lots of animals survived, but then the owners had nothing to tie them up with
. many animals got away and attacked wild life

Bottle water & tin food

. a storage of 24 bottles of water – no water available for a long time / no food available – spare water essential

P2 / smoke masks

. purchase a mask now – not at Christmas!!

Animal / Human Identification

. write your name / mobile number / address on a horse / cattle / child / elderly neighbour that you have to let out of a fence when a fire approaches

Proper clothing

. long sleeve shirt / pants
. hat / cap
. socks and shoes (not thongs)

Buckets of water around property

. have water ready around property in plastic tubs – don’t fill up tubs on the day of the fire

Medication / Scripts / Reading Glasses / spare Car keys

For more information visit the Emergency NSW Emergency Kits web page.

Interested in Council’s Integrated Emergency Management Centre? Watch this video created in December 2019.