Posted on November 11, 2019 by Matthew McNamara
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A simple message of support…
I grew up in the Northern Rivers, just north of Lismore. Fire was not something we needed to think about: floods were the more common threat. ’54, ’74, ’89… the recital is well known to locals.
However, to see over the weekend the Mt Nardi Fire take hold and reach emergency levels in an area of such beautiful World Heritage rainforest seems to be a dire warning for the Northern Rivers and the state as a whole. This, only weeks after the fires that swept through Rappville and Drake, taking lives, destroying homes, widlife and habitat.
Yet – as we all know – these are just a very few of the fires that have burnt and continue to burn across the northern half of the state this fire season.
The Port Macquarie-Hastings, Mid-Coast and Glenn Innes-Severn local government areas and their residents have been hit particularly hard in the current fires, but so too areas of Armidale, Tenterfield, Nambucca, Kempsey and Clarence Valley. Tomorrow is likely to add to the list, with the Hunter, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Illawarra, Shoalhaven and metropolitan Sydney regions all expecting catastrophic fire conditions.
LTL is privileged to act for local government authorities across regional and metropolitan NSW. We like to think that our work helps us understand both the benefits and challenges of living and working in regional areas. However, during times of drought, fire and floods we are very aware that living in Sydney we live sheltered lives. It is rural and regional NSW that is experiencing the bulk of the current impacts of climate change and local government which is trying to mitigate the risk posed to their communities.
On behalf of the entire LTL Team, I offer our thoughts, our commiserations and our best wishes to the communities that are experiencing this current fire crisis. I also express our admiration and thanks to members of the Rural Fire Service who are are doing such an extraordinary job, the volunteers staffing evacuation centres, and the local, state and other community organisations which will help with the clean-up and rebuilding and deal with the psychological effects long after news crews have moved on.
Most importantly, with so many of our clients and our in focus readers living and working in fire effected areas we also ask you to stay safe.
Regards,
Matthew McNamara
It is great that you use this medium to send that message – that at times like this for those communities, your practise uses its link not to provide any legal message, but merely to reach out and communicate with those at risk where it can.
Anthony Rowan
Town Planner, ARPL
G’ay mates. We live in a country of incredible change and diversity… good and bad. Those of us of advanced age have experienced floods, bush fires, droughts, insect and mice plagues, heat waves and earthquakes but our hearts go out to those who are in harms way. With good sense we will get through any challenging situation – Advance Australia and help where you can and able.
Thank you for such a sincere and heartfelt message. Too many times I have heard applicants complain about the onerous bushfire requirements on their conditions of consent, or the cost and time involved in preparing bushfire assessments. That cost is nothing compared to the cost of the bushfires on families, businesses, diminishing wildlife and the community as a whole here in Taree.
Your message regarding rural and regional NSW is poignant…we are experiencing the bulk of the current impacts of climate change and our local governments are chronically under-resourced to mitigate the dire risks posed to their communities.
Lisa Proctor
Town Planner
Taree
Thanks for leaving a nice message of support. However, it should be noted that catastrophic fires are not a new dilemma somehow linked to the quasi-science/religion called climate change.
Firstly, Australia has been for many hundreds of years a dry brown land, so fire has often been an ever-present risk. Secondly, the history of catastrophic fires indicates that the devastation we are seeing in NSW this week is nothing new:
– The Black Saturday Fire (VIC) in 2009, which burnt 4,500 km2 of land, killed 173 people and destroyed some 2,000 homes. Overall losses A$1.7bn, insured losses A$1.07bn (in original values)
– The Ash Wednesday Fire (VIC/SA) in 1983, which burnt 5,200 km2, destroyed some 2,400 homes and killed 75 people. Overall losses A$335m, insured losses A$176m (in original values)
– The Tasmanian Black Tuesday Fires (TAS) in 1967, which burnt more than 2,600 km2 , destroyed some 1,400 homes and killed 62 people. Overall losses were A$35m, insured A$14m (in original values)
– The Black Friday Fire (VIC) in 1939, which burnt almost 20,000 km2, destroyed more than 700 homes and resulted in 71 fatalities.
So I suggest we all take a back seat and not use a crisis like this one to evangelise others of their need to repent to the so-called climate change gospel.