A message from Riverina Highlands RFS
#Final Update:
after 50 days (49 in section 44) the Dunn’s road fire is Officially OUT

As the smoke clears so does the enormous realisation of what is needed for our communities, it is now a time of renewal to restore and rebuild homes ,farm sheds, fences ,attend to animal welfare both native and domestic and revive our local businesses.

Thank you to all those who have contributed to the Dunn’s Road Appeal. To date the Appeal is over $170,000. Once the expected funds have been donated ,the Foundation will allocate the funds raised to eligible residents who have been impacted directly by the fire in the form of vouchers/gift cards for goods and services from local businesses from Tumbarumba to Tumut this includes Talbingo Batlow and Adelong and roadside stalls with EFTPOS.

The Dunn’s road fire knew no boundaries and as a result the board of the Community Foundation has changed the area of the Foundation’s reach to include all who have been impacted by the horror of this listed blaze the Dunn’s road fire which includes residents of the old Tumbarumba shire.

And nor does fundraising stop at boundaries or when the fire is out ..for which we are very grateful .Events have been and will be held in Wagga ,Lockhart ,Sydney and Thredbo .Many donors have come from far afield Hawaii ,London and across Australia with generous support from our local communities.

The funds will not be accessed until May in the hope the Appeal will continue to attract further donors which equals more for the eligible recipients

We shall try and accommodate the desire of donors for their donation to be used specifically as best we can, eg for Yaven Creek, Batlow ,Tumbarumba or the wider area that the fire consumed.

Supporting partners in the appeal are Elders Adelong and Tumut , Adelong Progress Assoc , Community Bank (Bendigo) Adelong ,Tumut Chamber of Commerce.

A subcommittee has been formed comprising representatives of The Bendigo Bank Adelong ,Elders Adelong and Tumut ,the Adelong Progress Association ,Snowy Valleys Council and the Community Foundation members of the Batlow and Tumbarumba communities will be also invited to join.

The Tragedy

To date we have no real idea of the numbers and we are sure these may change but to begin:

• 40% of Snowy Valleys councils areas has been impacted by all the fires that combined to become the mega fire.
• 183 homes were lost with many more damaged .untold damage to farm building sheds and machinery.
• Miles and miles of fencing and stock losses … and over 30% of the soft wood plantations plus significant hardwood resources

The loss of both the built heritage and natural environment in the high country is simply catastrophic and heartbreaking for all those who have given so much in that area .

The loss of native vegetation across the fireground the major trees and lower vegetation and ground cover all the animals in our unique ecosystem many are now locally extinct all of this is gut wrenching The colony of platypus and all aquatic life in the Adelong creek and all effected waterways may well have suffered with the black water runoff as a result of the storm…a side tragedy of the fire storm

The loss of aboriginal heritage to date there is no record of what has been lost scarred trees ring trees and special places for our traditional owners who used this whole area .

The more we learn and the more affected residents come forward this appeal becomes so important to assist the eligible residents and support our local economy

Donations are tax deductable and can be deposited with any branch of the Bendigo Community Bank , Ray White Real Estate or by direct deposit to the Community Foundation

Name: Community Foundation for Tumut Region
BSB: 633000
Account No: 141406736

For a receipt

Please register your donation including your name and address and your preferred sub-fund eg Batlow

info@tumutfoundation.org.au

Register

For all those who have been directly impacted by the fire or know of those who have, we ask that you register names and addresses with the coordinating partners or by contacting Louise Halsey 0429619128 69473208 or by registering info@tumutfoundation.org.au with just a few words on whatever losses we are not requesting any application.

Louise Halsey CF PHF
Chairman
Community Foundation for Tumut Region
PO 670 Tumut NSW 2720
61 2 69473208 0429619128

The Community Foundation acknowledges the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal’s ongoing support and encouragement of the Community Foundation sector across Australia.

FRRR has published on its website an outline of the Donation Models for funding community programs and the role of the Community Foundation for Tumut Region as the inaugural Community Foundation partnering a corporate donor implementing the ‘Donation Account’ model.

The extract below is from the FRRR website and is sourced from the 2011 CFTR acquittal to FRRR.

Donation Account partnership in practice

The Community Foundation for Tumut Region reports that the Visy partnership has made a tangible difference in their community, aiding capacity building and supporting some fantastic achievements by community groups.

From 2006 to 2011, this Donation Account partnership had some notable achievements:

• Distributed $280,000 in Visy Community Grant funding across 97 projects
• 178 applications were received, seeking $1 million in project funding
• Each grant averaged $2,880
• 80% of grants were below $4,999 but they ranged from $400 to $13,500
• Supported 60 community organisations, few with DGR status

The depth and breadth of projects is truly impressive, as these examples attest:

Source: CFTR Acquittal to FRRR – 2011

For more information about Community Foundations, FRRR Donation Accounts and the Tumut Model see the FRRR website.

Goode’s Coaches – early supporters of the Foundation’s Workplace Giving program

The Board of the Community Foundation for Tumut Region is updating information for employees and employers in regard to the Foundation’s Workplace Giving program.

Contact the Community Foundation if you would like to know more about Workplace Giving.