Bushfire awareness workshops empowering local communities

Published on 29 October 2024

Residents of Stanwell, Mount Morgan, Mount Archer and surrounding areas will have the opportunity to enhance their bushfire resilience with Rockhampton Regional Council partnering with Healthy Land & Water to deliver a series workshops.

Deputy Chair of Local Disaster Management Group Councillor Drew Wickerson emphasised the importance of these workshops, particularly for residents living in areas with higher bushfire risk.

“Together with Healthy Land & Water, we want to increase community bushfire resilience, management, awareness, and capacity,” Cr Wickerson said.

“There will be separate workshops held in Stanwell, Mount Morgan, and Mount Archer, each specifically designed to cover key information relevant to that area.

“The devastating bushfires across much of Queensland during the 2019/2020 Black Summer Fires are an example of what we could expect in the future and demonstrate the potential for severe to catastrophic fire weather.

“These workshops will help landholders understand how to prepare and respond, not only to protect their own properties but also to contribute to broader bushfire mitigation efforts.”

Mount Morgan and Mount Archer workshops will focus on what it means to back onto the bush. Participants can learn about fire ecology, what keeps the bush healthy, local vegetation types, fire history, and how to assess their fire risk in accordance with local regulations.

The workshop held in Stanwell will guide landholders through the process of creating a personalised fire management plan. Participants will receive maps specific to their properties and learn strategies to mitigate bushfire risks and safeguard both individual and community properties.

Healthy Land & Water CEO Julie McLellan said after some devastating bushfire events in recent years, people are becoming better prepared and manage fire risks more effectively.

“Knowledge builds confidence – and we want to help build the confidence that communities and landholders need to undertake preventative action,” Ms McLellan said.

“These workshops provide local community members and landholders with knowledge, tools, and practical support for how to go about building resilience into their region.

“We get a lot of feedback about how useful it is to get together with your neighbours and identify strengths and weaknesses and proactive management strategies across local areas.

“The beauty of these workshops is that they are interactive, collaborative, and tailored to the local area in which they are held.

“Understanding the local area and drawing on local knowledge is essential to achieving the strongest approach across the region.”

Residents of Stanwell, Mount Morgan, and Mount Archer and those in surrounding areas such as Kabra, Kalapa, Westwood, Gogango, Ridgelands, Dalma and Alton Downs are encouraged to register for these free workshops.

Workshops include:

• Property Fire Management Planning | Stanwell | 7 November | 8am to 2pm
• Backing onto Bush | Mount Morgan | 9 November | 9am to 1pm
• Backing onto Bush | Mount Archer | 10 November | 9am to 1pm

For more information, visit www.hlw.org.au/events

These events are being delivered in collaboration with Rockhampton Regional Council and supported by Healthy Land & Water’s Queensland Fire & Biodiversity Consortium, through funding from the Australian Government’s Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program.