Following three successful rounds of Cuppa and Chat sessions held throughout the Shire, Council is moving to round four, with new offerings of assistance to bushfire impacted people.
The round four Community Catch-up sessions will be run by various support agencies, with a continued focus on helping people through the recovery process.
Council’s Community Development and Engagement Coordinator, Scott Baker said the new sessions come with a new name and purpose.
“Over the course of the first three rounds we have seen more people tentatively taking the step towards recovery, with the aim of finding a pathway home.
“This latest round will see a continuation of the connections made between affected residents and the agencies that are there to help.
“It’s an opportunity for the community to catch-up with organisations they may have already connected with as well as catching-up with friends and other locals who may have valuable information to share. It’s with this emphasis on catching-up with friends and organisations that led to the sessions being renamed.
“Seeing the sessions evolve is great news because it indicates the collaboration between Council and support services over the past months are helping to facilitate the community-led recovery process.
“We’re hosting the Community Catch-up sessions at seven locations across the Shire, with venues ranging from village halls to community markets, aligning with existing community events and different times of the day to ensure people who need to connect can.
“The Wonboyn and Towamba Catch-up sessions will offer something special and different, with an additional focus on saying a heartfelt thank you to the large number of volunteers who have helped these communities so much since the summer bushfires.
“Volunteers from Connecting Communities Australia, BlazeAid, Merimbula Lions, Pambula Rotary and people who lent a hand off their own back will be applauded at the two community barbeques.
“These volunteers have worked tirelessly to help two communities in need. They have been staying in local accommodation, waking each day to help, so the Wonboyn and Towamba communities approached us, wanting the next Catch-up session to refocus some much deserved thanks to the selfless volunteers.
“A thank you to one volunteer is a thank you to every volunteer who has given time and support to all affected communities.”
The Community Catch-up sessions run throughout October 2020 at the following venues:
- Wonboyn RFS Shed / 10 October 2020 / 2pm-5pm
- Bemboka Hall / 11 October 2020 / 11am-1pm
- Towamba Hall / 17 October 2020 / 11am-2pm
- Quaama Hall / 18 October 2020 / 12pm-2pm
- Cobargo School of Arts / 20 October 2020 / 2pm-5pm
- Wyndham Village Markets / 25 October 2020 / 8:30am-1pm
- Kiah RFS Shed / 29 October 2020 / 2pm-5pm
No registration is required, just turn up, catch-up and chat with some likeminded people in your community.
For more information on bushfire support and recovery assistance, contact our Recovery Support Service on 6499 2345 / recovery@begavalley.nsw.gov.au or visit the Bega Valley together webpages.
Source: Bega Valley Shire Council