Mental Health Support, Keeping Community Spirit High & Access to Recovery Resources

Episode three of the Southern NSW, Visitor Economy Bushfire Recovery Summit - Podcast Series, begins with podcast host Adrian Easdown chatting with Graeme Haycraft.  Graeme was instrumental in leading the tourism recovery efforts on behalf of the Murrindindi and Mitchell Shire Councils, after the Black Saturday Fires of 2009. Graeme shares some great advice, based on his own experience in crisis management and disaster recovery processes.

In the second half of the podcast, Adrian chats with Jeremy Wilshire, the Major Events Manager for Destination Wollongong. Jeremy was the MC at the Bushfire Recovery Summit. Throughout the event, Jeremy encouraged attendees to contribute their ideas to an action wall. At the end of the event, the ideas were collated into topics and discussed. These ideas formed the basis of feedback from the summit, which was provided to the appropriate government organisations.

Mental Health Support

Graeme grew up in the Kinglake and Marysville area, which was devastated by the 2009 Black Saturday Fires. He returned to the area to assist in the bushfire recovery process. Graeme shares a firsthand account of his experience and the knowledge gained through his involvement. In particular, Graeme describes the need for adequate emotional support for people affected by the fires. Graeme explains how the lengthy period over which the catastrophe unfolded, wreaked havoc within the communities. People were evacuated multiple times, with the end result being widespread devastation. People were and still are traumatised, enduring unpredictable and extreme, high and low levels of emotion. Graeme stresses the need for appropriate emotional and mental support for people during times of crisis.

Keeping Community Spirit High

Graeme provides some insights into why it is imperative to keep the spirits of community members elevated. He describes how, due to the nature of the disaster, everywhere residents looked, all they saw was devastation. To combat the sense of helplessness, Graeme describes how events were organised in an effort to temporarily distract people from the hardships they faced, and provide them with moments of happiness. Graeme shares stories of surprise concerts put on by international bands and special guest appearances at community gatherings. These types of events did wonders for the community, significantly lifting the spirits of everyone who attended and providing a sense of hope for the future.

Access to Recovery Resources

Adrian and Jeremy have a great chat around the action wall that was created by summit delegates. They agree that a major concern for attendees is access to support and resources. Jeremy reiterates the need for operators to be proactive in their approach to recovery, by seeking out available support. He acknowledges that there may be restrictions on the type of assistance available, but urges business owners to explore the options. Jeremey provides a comprehensive list of places people can begin their search, such as Service NSW and local business support organisations.

The over-arching message from all the speakers on the day, was not to wait for funding support. Due to the sheer size of the area directly and indirectly affected by the bushfires, there may not be enough funding to support everyone’s needs. Instead, communities are encouraged to work together to attract visitors back to their regions, and take advantage of local, regional, state and national promotional campaigns. Jeremy encourages business owners to do the ground work, discover what’s out there and tap into a combination of programs that are being run. Whether it be from the private sector or public sector, there are avenues of assistance and it’s up to each operator to decide which ones are most relevant to them.

Links to resources and additional information

• RENSW website – A central platform that hosts a range of bushfire recovery resources distributed by local, state and national organisations. The information collated on this website is available to assist in locally-led recovery processes. Visit the website for information and resources on available support, promotional campaigns and more.
• Graeme Haycraft LinkedIn Profile
• Jeremy Wilshire LinkedIn Profile
• Adrian Easdown LinkedIn Profile
• ‘Now’s the time to Love NSW’ Marketing Campaign
• ‘Holiday Here This Year’ Marketing Campaign
• Destination NSW Tourism Recovery Package
• Presentations and information from the Bushfire Recovery Summit
• Black Saturday Fires of 2009 – Marysville & King Lake Regions
• Destination NSW
• Destination Southern NSW
• Destination Sydney Surrounds South
• Listen to Episode 1 - Bushfire Recovery Summit Podcast Series – Locally-Led Recovery, Reactivating Local Economies & Building Better Futures
• Listen to Episode 2 - Bushfire Recovery Summit Podcast Series – Communication is Key, Recovery Tips for Operators & Consistent Messaging