Fire to Flourish

It's time for a Fire to Flourish team update. We're delighted to welcome Rebecca Walker and Brett Davis to the team. Bec joins us as our Senior Development Specialist. She'll be supporting the development of tools and other resources to enable community and industry uptake of the knowledge we're producing at Fire to Flourish. She brings a wonderfully complementary set of skills and experiences to the team, including time in local and state governments in disaster resilience roles, as well as international community development experience. Brett joins our Executive team as Director - Knowledge Synthesis and Communications. Brett will support our communications team with knowledge synthesis and production of key program outputs. Brett is a social development specialist, bringing excellent expertise in international development, environmental and social safeguards and impact assessment. We wish Lara Werbeloff and Lindsey Goodman all the best as they temporarily depart our Executive team to commence parental leave. Lara and Lindsey have both been pivotal in driving the program forward, demonstrating outstanding leadership and strategic insight. And we are readying ourselves to say goodbye to Inara Walden who joins Djirra as their Senior Policy Officer. The role, at the intersection of Aboriginal social justice and family violence response, is a return to an area of policy and advocacy work that is dear to her heart. Thanks for everything Inara.

Yesterday, several Fire to Flourish staff attended Monash Sustainable Development Institute's Sparks Day. It is a privilege to be one of many programs in Monash University's MSDI - an institute that prioritises real solutions to some of the most significant challenges we face today, through the Sustainable Development Goals. Sparks Day was about connecting with our friends from MSDI and its other initiatives - including Climateworks Centre, BehaviourWorks Australia, Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments, MSDI Water and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (Australia) - to inspire, share and spark new ideas together. Thank you to everyone who made it an engaging opportunity for connection. #firetoflourish #disasterresilience #disasterrecovery #communitydevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #emergencymanagement Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Paul Ramsay Foundation

Recently, NIDR Research Fellow Emma McNicol, PhD was invited to visit Nukunu Country and present to the Nukunu Wapma Thura Aboriginal Corporation Board about the research engagement the NIDR team are undertaking across South Australia. Dr McNicol shared: "I was privileged to be toured around Nukunu Country by Uncle Laurie and Travis Thomas. On our four day road trip throughout South Australia, Travis and Uncle Laurie showed me a range of sites of cultural significance and great beauty. We wandered where their ancestors had camped; admired scar trees from which they had removed bark to make coolamans (baby carriers) and shelter trees in which they had sought refuge from the rain. I found it particularly incredible to encounter such a volume of shelter and scar trees simply by the side of the road in Melrose on a private property. Without Uncle Laurie and Travis' guidance, I would have easily driven straight past. And most crucially, in the event of an emergency, a fire truck probably would also have driven by. If emergency management sector personnel don't make the time to stop, listen, ask and find out from Aboriginal colleagues and friends what is important to them, they'll drive right by and sites of cultural heritage will be forever lost. Thank you to Trav, Uncle and the team for welcoming me on-Country and inviting me to present to the Board." Fire to Flourish | Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute

The truth is, when resources are scarce, it's hard to be friends in the scramble for funding. NGOs often find themselves in a race for resources, which makes true collaboration incredibly challenging. Yet, if we're serious about making a real difference in our communities, we need to break out of this cycle. It's time to create a "sacred space" for collaboration—a space where the focus shifts from competing for resources to creating real community impact. It means putting aside the need to protect our own turf and coming together with a shared purpose. We've seen firsthand how powerful this can be. When we met with the team at Fire to Flourish, we quickly realised we shared a vision for disaster resilience and a dream for Australia’s preparedness and social cohesion. This is what it looks like in practice: setting aside our individual agendas and coming together with a shared purpose. In silos we are fragmented—but in pooling our resources, knowledge, and expertise, we can create solutions that are far greater than the sum of their parts.   

Last week, our program staff came together for On-Country Week in the beautiful Murramarang on Walbunja Country on the south coast of NSW. CEO Briony Rogers explains the value of coming together for these gatherings. “This year’s On-Country Week really brought the program and its impact to life for the team in attendance. Visiting one of our partner communities, hearing from locals about the projects that they’ve had funded and feeling such a strong sense of community connection, was truly inspiring for everyone.” Staff collaborated across two days of purposeful workshops and enjoyed a day of Indigenous and community connection and celebration. Thank you to everyone who travelled near and far to be there. Read more about On-Country Week in the news article below. https://lnkd.in/gaT929iU #firetoflourish #disasterresilience #disasterrecovery #communitydevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #emergencymanagement #eurobodalla Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Paul Ramsay Foundation | Briony Rogers | Brett Davis | Sarah C Smith | Cara MacLeod | Adriana Keating | Inara Walden | Barb Rix | Gretel Evans | Helen Duroux | Eve Bentley | Eva Grunden | Gina Carpenter | Dr Zoe D'Arcy | Jessica Bulger | Ashley Keleher | Alison Worthington | Lucy Stackpool-Moore | Laura Cochrane (GAICD) | Katherine Dias | Eurobodalla Shire Council

Day 2 of our On Country Week was a wonderful, inspiring day of community connection and celebration. Joe Brierley, Community Facilitator for Eurobodalla, took the team on a cultural walk through the beautiful Cullendulla Creek and Mangrove Reserve - generously sharing his knowledge and connection to the land. The program was then brought to life at the Eurobodalla Fire to Flourish office in Mogo, NSW. We were warmly welcomed by the Eurobodalla Fire to Flourish team of Kizzy Nye, Barb Rix and Joe Brierley, who spoke with passion and pride about the long-term disaster resilience they've been able to co-create with their communities and how they've done it. A group of community project leads, funded by Fire to Flourish Eurobodalla, then shared stories of the projects they're bringing to their communities and the impact they're having. The projects were diverse, innovative and rich in community connection; ranging from Embers to Essence music festival to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the bushfires and Bangguri Gadhu food trailer to provide food during times of disaster, to Yarning on Country mens healing program and Walawaani on Wheels bike library, track and club for local youth. A big thank you to the Euorobodalla community and team for welcoming us all so warmly, sharing so generously and showing us what community-led disaster resilience looks like in practice. #firetoflourish #disasterresilience #disasterrecovery #communitydevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #emergencymanagement #eurobodalla Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Paul Ramsay Foundation | Briony Rogers | Brett Davis | Sarah C Smith | Cara MacLeod | Adriana Keating | Inara Walden | Barb Rix | Gretel Evans | Helen Duroux | Eve Bentley | Eva Grunden | Gina Carpenter | Dr Zoe D'Arcy | Jessica Bulger | Ashley Keleher | Alison Worthington | Lucy Stackpool-Moore | Laura Cochrane (GAICD) | Sharon Tierney | Tony Capon | Kate Cowden | Ash Shannon | Barb Rix | Bonnie Nebauer | Joe Brierley | John Skinner | Kat Dias | Kath Kermode | Kizzy Nye | Matt Sing | Pamela Denise | Sara Matthews | Eurobodalla Shire Council |

This week we're bringing together our four partner community teams, researchers, Strategic Advisory Committee members, backbone and executive staff for our On Country Week in the beautiful Murramarang on Walbunja country. We're grateful to our Eurobodalla team for welcoming everyone and organising a cultural walk, showcase of Fire to Flourish funded projects and tour of the area. It's also an opportunity to connect as a team and use this time to reflect, learn and plan together, as we continue to work alongside our partner communities to co-create tailored resilience solutions. There'll be more On Country updates coming this week. #firetoflourish #disasterresilience #disasterrecovery #communitydevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #emergencymanagement #eurobodalla Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Paul Ramsay Foundation | Briony Rogers | Brett Davis | Sarah C Smith | Cara MacLeod | Adriana Keating | Inara Walden | Barb Rix | Gretel Evans | Helen Duroux | Eve Bentley | Eva Grunden | Gina Carpenter | Dr Zoe D'Arcy | Jessica Bulger | Ashley Keleher | Alison Worthington | Lucy Stackpool-Moore | Robert Glasser | Laura Cochrane (GAICD) | Sharon Tierney | Tony Capon | Kate Cowden | Ash Shannon | Barb Rix | Bonnie Nebauer | Joe Brierley | John Skinner | Kat Dias | Kath Kermode | Kizzy Nye | Matt Sing | Pamela Denise | Sara Matthews | Eurobodalla Shire Council |

It's always valuable to bring the Fire to Flourish research team together to connect, share and learn. Yesterday the team caught up in Melbourne for our Quarterly Research Workshop with sessions on Data Governance and Sharing from Brett Davis, Harnessing Generative AI for Research from Jason Downs, Ph.D. and Fire to Flourish Research Publications for 2025 facilitated by Briony Rogers. It was a day of blue sky thinking, thought provoking discussions and strategic planning. As a program we conduct research in ways that build and honour respectful relationships, respond to community-defined priorities, involve community as co-researchers, make data and findings accessible and community-owned, and ultimately make meaningful contributions to our partner communities. #firetoflourish #disasterresilience #disasterrecovery #communitydevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #emergencymanagement Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Paul Ramsay Foundation

On the back of the #NIDRGathering2024, Bhiamie Williamson of National Indigenous Disaster Resilience wrote for The Conversation Australia + NZ today about the shift in emergency management practice that will save Country and communities: cultural burning. "Indigenous groups around Australia have begun the work of rekindling cultural burns, but barriers still remain. It’s time this disaster management work by Indigenous groups was recognised and magnified by governments." #disasterresilience #indigenousdisasterresilience #disasterrecovery #culturalburning #emergencymanagement Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Paul Ramsay Foundation | Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation | AFAC | Jenny McAllister | Tony Sheldon | Oliver Costello https://lnkd.in/gfGmb2fC

Yesterday, our CEO Briony Rogers gave a keynote address - 'Fire to Flourish: Partnering with communities to co-create resilient futures' - at the Community Colleges Australia annual conference in Sydney. Briony shared experiences and insights from our deep co-creation work with bushfire-affected communities. Read her reflections on the conference below. #firetoflourish #disasterresilience #disasterrecovery #communitydevelopment #sustainabledevelopment #emergencymanagement Monash University | Monash Sustainable Development Institute | Paul Ramsay Foundation