It was a pleasure to be invited to speak about bushfire impacts, mitigation and environmental considerations to corporate volunteers organised by the Australian Resilience Corps (The Corps) at the Gingin Bushfire Readiness Muster last week. Connecting Communities Australia supervised approximately fifty corporate volunteers from the Minderoo Foundation and Tattarang over three days, who took time away from the office to volunteer in the Shire of Gingin and give back to the community with a focus on providing a safer community in the event of a bushfire.
Efforts included raking and removing surface and dead fuels, trimming vegetation to create vertical clearance and removing non-endemic species along one of the main access roads into town and also at the rear of the Gingin District School on the banks of the Gingin Brook. It was a great effort by all providing an opportunity to achieve mitigation in areas that otherwise may not have been able to be funded. The achievements over the three days now provides opportunity for local volunteer brigades and cadets to safely carry out prescribed burning in preparation for the coming fire season.
On day three those involved were treated to a Welcome to Country by Yued Elder Darryl Dawson who also provided some interesting insight into the history of indigenous activities in the area dating back to the 1800’s, together with his personal connection to the area.
The Australian Resilience Corps seeks to connect new and existing volunteers to where help is needed most, working with and through existing community led organisations and NGOs on the ground to help communities and local governments prepare for natural hazards, like fires and floods, before they occur. Anyone wishing to register as a volunteer can register at https://www.resiliencecorps.org.au/
