People directly affected by the bushfire disaster should apply to the Braidwood Life Centre for financial assistance, president David Avery advises.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Through their Community Help Fund, the Centre has more than $160,000 to help bushfire victims. "We're handing out funds to anybody who puts their hand up who is a genuine case for relief," Mr Avery said.
Many families in the region were badly hit by the summer's fires; about 35 families around Nerriga alone lost their homes or accommodation, Mr Avery said, while some now live in sheds or caravans.
Although the Fund has already given $35,000 to deserving cases, not many people have applied for help, Mr Avery said.
"We know lots of people out there should have assistance, but they seem to be shy or proud about admitting they were in trouble, which is sad. We want everybody to have a fair crack at getting help."
The Fund was set up with caps of $1000 for people whose homes were destroyed or badly damaged, and of $500 for people who lost infrastructure (fencing, generators, solar panels or fridges). "A thousand dollars is not a lot of money, but it was a way to say we're concerned and want to help as much as possible," Mr Avery said. Now more money has come in, the committee will review the caps.
The 230 registered 'mozzies' who drove around in utes putting out spot fires received $100 each.
Applying to the Fund is quite simple, Mr Avery said: complete a two-page form available from the Braidwood Community Bank, or by contacting members of the BLC Fund Committee. The applications can be completed in 10 minutes, and actioned straight away. Processing takes two weeks at most.
The fund committee meets weekly to assess applications and authorise payouts. The group of five includes a lawyer, an accountant, representatives from the Braidwood Community Association and Vinnies Braidwood, and Mr Avery himself.
Although set up for bushfire relief, the Community Help Fund will also aid people indirectly affected by the bushfires. One application, for instance, was to remove rubble from a property at the foot of a hill. "The fire decimated the trees and undergrowth," Mr Avery explained. "When it rained, the flood brought down all this mud and pulverized their fence. They needed to get a bobcat in. This chap also has a history of poor health, and couldn't really wield a shovel."
There are no eligibility criteria; recipients might be ratepayers, property owners, or renters. If in doubt whether you qualify for help, submit your application anyway, Mr Avery recommended.
The Community Help Fund was set up with the help of the Braidwood and Bungendore Community Banks. Other businesses and individuals generously donated to the fund, including the Boorowa Community Bank, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, World Hope International, the Braidwood Uniting Church, the Braidwood Anglican Church, the Royal Hotel Queanbeyan, and the Nerriga community. One donor alone gave $10,000.
"We've been truly blown away by the generous response of the community and others outside our area," Mr Avery said. "It's very humbling to realise that our community are able to fork out, even though they're battling themselves."
During the bushfires, the Braidwood Life Centre was open every day. The committee is small - only 10 people - but it had a lot of help from the community, including from people who had losses themselves. The Life Centre was inundated with donations of food and clothing, and handed out these donations for four or five weeks.
Since then, the Centre has provided $2000 worth of vouchers to help people obtain groceries, fuel, firewood, milk and meat from the local IGA and other businesses.
Coronavirus, however, means the Life Centre has had to cancel many of its activities (exercise programs, debating, preschool groups) and close its doors. Should the community need any help, phone 0437 989 993 to arrange a meeting.
Contact details of BLC Community Help Fund personnel for application for financial assistance are:
- David Avery 0413 640 373
- Rhyll Tozer 0408 643 115
- Sue Murray 0419 441 048
- Cathy Ffrench 0418 262 011
- David Gray 0448 615 633
Nicholas Fuller
The exciting thing about journalism is the variety; one can explore the world, meet interesting people and write about it. I've sat in the caravan of an African circus ringmaster; I've squatted on my haunches in a plastic-sorting factory in the Mumbai slums, talking to the workers and drinking hot chai in plastic cups the size of thimbles; and I've interviewed Chinese cultural attachés, Danish football stars and Japanese drummers. Now I’ve come to the Northern Tablelands as a group journalist working across six of Fairfax’s mastheads. Living in New England is a return to country. My father’s side of the family lived here since the 19th century. My great-great-grandparents are buried in Ben Lomond. My great-grandmother and grandmother spent most of their lives in and around Glencoe and Glen Innes, and are both buried in Tamworth. My grandfather isn’t; his ashes are in a cupboard until we throw them in the Macdonald, near Bendemeer, where he used to fish. And my father cut his teeth as a cadet journalist on the Northern Daily Leader, before moving to Canberra, and studied history at UNE. Moving here is following in the family footsteps. Armidale seems charming: up here, in Australia’s highest city, one feels close to the sky. And the mixture of 1830s historic buildings; green, rain-washed hills, crowned with conifers; and one of the country’s leading universities give it a unique appeal. I completed my journalism qualifications last year, while freelancing for newspapers and magazines, and holding down a full-time job. I spent the end of last year in Sri Lanka, where I reported on visiting Buddhist dignitaries (from exotic Perth), UN development programs, Italian food weeks, and hotels in former war-zones. Previously, I worked as a writer and editor for the Australian Government in Canberra for a decade. In my day job, I briefed members of parliament about international relations, and wrote about agricultural aid programs to developing countries. Journalism, though, is where my heart lies. I want to experience life, rather than sit behind a desk. And, having grown up in Belgium, I want to be Tintin. I hope to get to know and love the region where my ancestors lived, while reporting on issues important to the Tablelands.
The exciting thing about journalism is the variety; one can explore the world, meet interesting people and write about it. I've sat in the caravan of an African circus ringmaster; I've squatted on my haunches in a plastic-sorting factory in the Mumbai slums, talking to the workers and drinking hot chai in plastic cups the size of thimbles; and I've interviewed Chinese cultural attachés, Danish football stars and Japanese drummers. Now I’ve come to the Northern Tablelands as a group journalist working across six of Fairfax’s mastheads. Living in New England is a return to country. My father’s side of the family lived here since the 19th century. My great-great-grandparents are buried in Ben Lomond. My great-grandmother and grandmother spent most of their lives in and around Glencoe and Glen Innes, and are both buried in Tamworth. My grandfather isn’t; his ashes are in a cupboard until we throw them in the Macdonald, near Bendemeer, where he used to fish. And my father cut his teeth as a cadet journalist on the Northern Daily Leader, before moving to Canberra, and studied history at UNE. Moving here is following in the family footsteps. Armidale seems charming: up here, in Australia’s highest city, one feels close to the sky. And the mixture of 1830s historic buildings; green, rain-washed hills, crowned with conifers; and one of the country’s leading universities give it a unique appeal. I completed my journalism qualifications last year, while freelancing for newspapers and magazines, and holding down a full-time job. I spent the end of last year in Sri Lanka, where I reported on visiting Buddhist dignitaries (from exotic Perth), UN development programs, Italian food weeks, and hotels in former war-zones. Previously, I worked as a writer and editor for the Australian Government in Canberra for a decade. In my day job, I briefed members of parliament about international relations, and wrote about agricultural aid programs to developing countries. Journalism, though, is where my heart lies. I want to experience life, rather than sit behind a desk. And, having grown up in Belgium, I want to be Tintin. I hope to get to know and love the region where my ancestors lived, while reporting on issues important to the Tablelands.
