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A Community Rebuilds Together After Wildfires

Gradient Ocean

Tom Sarlo

May 26, 2023

Australia

Categories:

Community, Volunteers, Social Capital, Wildfires, Natural Disaster, Pandemic, Firefighters

In 2019, Australia experienced wildfires that devastated the country, killed several people, and estimated billions of animals perished. This story, from the Al Jazeera news network, comes from the town of Wonboyn, Australia, which lies on the continent's eastern side. The people of this town have faced one adversity after another and have shown their resilience by pulling together and rebuilding their community.


There is one main road leading to Wonboyn, the wildfires were dangerous, and the aftermath was destructive. One well-known industry there is oyster farming. These wildfires left several dead animals, such as deer and kangaroos, in the lake, contaminating the water and the oysters. During rain, there was also runoff from the fire ashes that caused more destruction to the lake. When the wildfires ended, the COVID-19 pandemic started. With travel restrictions in place and social distancing, Wonboyn suffered economically in both of their top industries, tourism, and oyster farming.


Instead of giving up, the wildfire brought the community together and created powerful bonds. There is a strong sense of volunteering, especially fire volunteering. When folks move to Wonboyn, becoming a volunteer fire department member is standard. The fire department is a strong pillar in the community. The volunteer firefighters rebuilt their fire station after burning down. The primary fuel for the fires was the underbrush. The town folks have taken a more aggressive approach with the ground brush maintenance. The volunteer fire-fights undertake the work of cutting and clearing the brush for fire protection.


The wildfires were the first adversity the townspeople survived and healed from, but soon afterward, the town of Wonboyn again became isolated because of the world pandemic. Town folks found this more complex than the wildfires because they now faced social isolation. The borders were closed to travel, and the tourism industry was affected. Many of the residents struggled and experienced trauma from the wildfires, and adding to their fears were the social isolation and the unknown outcome of the pandemic.


The folks of Wonboyn, much like other areas of the world, had to learn to cope, have patience, find support, and at the same time, rebuild their community from a natural disaster. Regrowth from the fire damage would be slow; everyone had to accept that and be patient, but they gained valuable lessons about the power of community bonding that served them well when the pandemic hit. This fantastic town found its support and strength, in part, through the dedication of its volunteerlocal firefighters, the Rural Fire Services (RFS). During the wildfires, the men and women volunteers of the RFS held weekly dinners for the town's folks with additional support from organizations and charities. The volunteer firefighters showed up for special events, such as Christmas rides on the fire trucks for the children and food for all. The RFS drew upon this experiences and when the pandemic's started, the outreach continued with gift hampers filled with various items of need and toys for the children.


Much of the regrowth with nature's surroundings will happen in time. The wildlife will slowly return. The borders for traveling have opened, allowing tourism to return, and the lake famous for its oyster farming is gradually clearing up. Natural healing occurs after the effects of a wildfire, and the earth has a way of returning to its former self. The critical thing to remember is how to rebuild our communities when faced with adversities like the town folks of Wonboyn. The town came together, and their focus was rebuilding their Rural Fire Services. They sought more fire prevention for the future, and the town folks continue to uphold the tradition of volunteering for the RFS Rural Fires Services. It's much more than fire-fighting; it's the love and support that came through a necessary volunteer organization and brought and built back a community that, with patience, support, caring, and much hard work, truly makes a difference and community.


Rebuilding after a large-scale disaster is complex and beyond the scope of this article. Every community has social capital, such as the Wonboyn Rural Fire Services. We can learn from this story the importance of volunteers to the lifeblood of a community and find ways to honor and support the people who tirelessly give their time to causes that protect and better their hometowns.


Did you know the 2021 Volunteering in America Report by the US Census estimates that 60.7 million adults donated 4.1 billion hours of their time, valued at USD 122.9 billion? The contributions of a nation's volunteers are enormous, and recognizing them boosts their confidence in their role to help your local causes and encourages others to join them.


Mobilize.us suggests 50 ways to celebrate and appreciate your community volunteers. Here are a few examples:

1. Plan a night out, such as providing movie tickets, and make it a festive occasion.

2. Dedicate a community blog to recognize volunteers across organizations. Ask your local government to sponsor it.

3. Give new volunteers a welcome gift.

4. Bring in a food truck to celebrate a community volunteer project.

5. Interview volunteers and post their stories online.

6. Take a group picture. Please post them in prominent places, such as city hall and online.

7. Create a design contest with volunteers to design merchandise for community events.

8. Create a secret buddy gift exchange among all the community volunteers.

The most important thing we can do is personally thank volunteers for their commitment and selflessness. Chances are you benefited from a service that relied on volunteers, such as a hospital. A few words can go a long way, and it is so simple to do. Make a difference today.


Photo By Issy Bailey from Unsplash.

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Catalog #:

0523.101.04.052623

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