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 in Singleton.

This recovery funding will help 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 met with the successful applicants last year 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 locations, such as the Putty Valley, Jerrys Plains, Broke and Bulga.

Shane 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,” he 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 welcomed way to end what had been another challenging year.

“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,” she concluded.

The full list of projects is:

• Putty RFS – Women in Emergency Volunteering ($2,500)
• Goorangoola and Mount Royal RFS – Women in Emergency Volunteering ($2,500)
• Singleton PCYC – Emergency Services Cadetship ($5,000)
• Broke Hall Land Managers – AV Purchase for Hall ($5,000)
• Scotts Flat Rural Fire Brigade – Purchase UHF radios ($4,984.65)
• Lambs Valley Community Landcare – Purchase UHF radios ($3,120)
• Mitchell’s Flat Hall – Open Day with Emergency Services ($3,500)
• Scotts Flat Rural Fire Brigade – Community Open Day ($4,460)
• Singleton Caracourt Caravan Park – Residents Individual Emergency Plans ($5,000)
• Singleton Neighbourhood Centre – Heights Happening – Community Gatherings ($5,000)
• Bulga Community Centre – for CRT – Purchase Defibrillator and Community website platform for emergency alerts ($5,000)
• Broke Hall Land Managers – Purchase defibrillator ($3,300)
• Bulga Community Centre – Bulga Christmas event ($2,500)
• Rotary Club – Christmas Grotto ($4,241.25)
• Hunter Urban dance Studio – Dance for Christmas on John Street ($5,000)

IMAGE | Resilience NSW Commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons with Singleton Resilience NSW grant recipients.