By Tyler Wright
Residents across the Hills are still in the healing process one year on from last year’s devastating June storm event and groups are still inforcing the importance of community togetherness
The Kalorama Collective, formed immediately after the storm to provide meals, showers and supplies to those in need, and is now holding monthly dinners at Olinda Community House to facilitate conversations, laughter and support.
“We know that local people and local knowledge will help support the resilience and the ongoing drive that people need to feel like they can continue as ‘normal’,” Kalorama Collective chairperson Nia Beardsley said.
“Things have changed dramatically up here we do live in a very different Hills space, we all know people who’ve lost their homes and been displaced, are struggling with the ongoing impacts, the financial impacts, the trauma impacts the pressures of just every day and the feelings of isolation, because throughout all [that] time we had restrictions,”
The group has been holding recycle and repair cafe events to try and skill share and combine local knowledge, and Nia said attendance at the new monthly dinners doubled from the first catch up to the second.
“To be able to build your community connections, your relationships and know who your neighbours are, will help start to lead that recovery journey that is going to be so very crucial up here to making sure that we can come back better than where we were beforehand,” she said.
“There’s a recognition that we have all experienced a very big unique situation together – [people are coming] out and starting to talk to each other and acknowledge that it happened and see that we’re okay.”
Local group Mums of the Hills have also been trying to get people back together again after restrictions and last year’s storm event which saw community members and families separated.
“There have been Creative Sundays where we’ve got people that love to crochet, knit and do crafts…other groups have come together around writing…we’ve got active MoThs for people that are wanting to find other people that want to get fit or enjoy sports together,” MoThs founder Belinda Young said.
Ms Young said financial pressures, finding accommodation and family violence have been major issues throughout the Dandenong Ranges as a result of the pandemic and weather events.
Connectivity is still high on the agenda for MotHs, with the group writing a submission to a national telecommunications audit calling for the NBN to become an essential service.
“If they don’t have things completed quickly, there is no ombudsman for the NBN; so there is no way for people to raise their concerns,” Ms Young said.
“Because the NBN Co is a wholesaler, not a retailer – we’re the customer, however, we’re effectively one removed – we’ve got the retailer in the middle that prevents us from actually contacting NBN and complaining.”
Nia Beardsley said governing bodies need to step in and get involved in the process of recovery alongside residents.
“It’s not the people who own these houses – it’s not their fault that a once in a 100 year storm came through the roof… they spend their days running around, waiting on phone calls and waiting on the Council and waiting on permits and waiting for insurance … and it must be incredibly painful to be in that situation,” she said.
