Resilient Clarence

RESILIENT CLARENCE – LESSONS LEARNT

Interactive map of bushfire stories from the community

An interactive digital map capturing stories from Clarence Valley communities impacted by the 2019-2020 bushfires has been created as the final component of the Resilient Clarence Project. The stories were collated during an art roadshow that travelled to bushfire-affected communities including Glenreagh, Ewingar, Nymboida, Dundurrabin, Baryulgil, Malabugilmah, Woombah, Iluka, Ashby and Wooloweyah. The artwork is a collaborative map that connects these communities and involved more than 100 contributors.

The digital map will tell personal stories of loss and survival, strength and resilience from our small towns and villages. There will be a range of videos and audio pods documenting the impacts on our environment, threatened species and damage from invasive species as the landscape continues to regenerate. This wonderful resource will be available in our community libraries.

An event at Grafton Regional Gallery in November celebrated the conclusion of the project and allowed community leaders involved with the project to network and fortify relationships between neighbouring communities, where previously they may not have known one another. The event showcased some of the videos that have been created and gave community members an opportunity to connect with Council staff and other partners who will continue to support them moving forward.

Amidst the stress and chaos of the fires one important thing happened - deep and meaningful connections were formed. Clarence Valley communities proved to themselves they are strong and resilient. People pull together in times of need to help and support each other.

Keep an eye on the CVC Facebook page to find out when the digital map goes live. The Resilient Clarence Project was a year-long program to share examples of local resilience after the unprecedented 2019/20 bushfires through communityled workshops to help build capacity, reconnect with nature and share knowledge.

PICTURED: From top; Resilient Clarence supported community connection events, such as this one at Iluka, where people could have a hand in creating the imagery and share the stories that formed the digital map.

Community member Hayley Talbot was the Cultural Knowledge and Creative Director of the Resilient Clarence Project.

The collaborative artwork Regrowth was unveiled at Resilient Clarence Project event at Grafton Regional Gallery on 24 November where Ryan Martin was a guest performer.