Beyond Black Saturday Report to Ensure That 100% of Donations from the Catholic Community Could Go Directly to Assist Bushfire Victims
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BEYOND Black Saturday 2009-2012 A REPORT PREPARED ON BEHALF OF THE ARCHBIShop’S CHARITABLE FUND BUSHFIRE APPEAL BY THE CaTHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE AND CaTHOLICCaRE MELBOURNE Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’ BEYOND Black Saturday 2009-2012 This report describes how the generosity of Catholics worldwide was turned into immediate and long term assistance for communities recovering from the Black Saturday Bushfires of February 2009 in the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sandhurst and Sale. The Archbishop’s CHARITABLE FUND BOURKE G R GRE F CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE PHOTO COURTESY OF COURTESY PHOTO OF MELBOURNE The remains of St Mary’s Kinglake after it was devasted by the Black MARK 10:27 Saturday bushfires in February 2009. BEYOND BLACK SATURDAY 2009-2012 1 BEYOND Black Saturday 2009-2012 BEYOND BLACK SATURDAY 2009 - 2012 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Donna Ward Editor and Project Manager: Kristen Toohey Cover photo: Emmy Silvius Cover illustration: www.istockphoto.com Page 48 photo: www.istockphoto.com Inside back cover illustration: www.istockphoto.com Back cover photo: Emmy Silvius Graphic Design: Mary Ferlin, Communications Office, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Title: Beyond Black Saturday 2009-2012 ISBN: 978-1-86420-386-8 Published by: CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE OF MELBOURNE PO BOX 146 EAST MELBOURNE VICTORIA AUSTRALIA 8002 www.cam.org.au Printed by Doran Printing, Braeside, Victoria This report was prepared by CatholicCare and the Communications Office of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne on behalf of the Archbishop’s Charitable Fund Bushfire Appeal Committee. Special thanks is given to the author, Donna Ward, to Fr Joe Caddy and Janet Cribbes for their close collaboration in writing the report, to James O’Farrell and Kristen Toohey of the Communications Office for writing, editing, oversight and project management. Thanks also to Ramesh Weereratne and Mary Ferlin of the Communications Office for graphic design and Fiona Power, Editor of Kairos Catholic Journal and the Recovery newsletter, which regularly reported on communities as they recovered from the Black Saturday Bushfires. Special mention and thanks to those who contributed to these publications and especially those whose reflections are included in this Report. Some material in this document is extracted from Kairos Catholic Journal, the official journal of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne; The Catholic Recovery Response, by Professor Ruth Webber and Dr Kate Jones of Australian Catholic University; annual reports and newsletters of Victorian Catholic Social Services, and internal documents, reports and conversations with staff in Melbourne, Gippsland and Sandhurst Bushfire Recovery programs. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publishers. A note on terminology Centacare Catholic Family Services Melbourne changed their name to CatholicCare in April 2011. The new name CatholicCare is used throughout this report. Services in the Dioceses of Sale and Sandhurst are known by slightly different names: Centacare Gippsland, in the Diocese of Sale and CentaCare Sandhurst, in the Diocese of Sandhurst. 2 BEYOND BLACK SATURDAY 2009-2012 CONTENTS IN SUMMARY 4 A MEssAGE FROM ARCHBISHOP DENIS HART 5 A MEssAGE FROM SIR JAMES GOBBO 6 THE DISASTER 7 THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE 10 THE CATHOLIC COMMUNIty’S RESPONSE 13 • The InITIal Response Team 14 • The Response of The CaTholIC CommunITy 15 • 2009 mIlesTones 18 • BushfIRe ReCoveRy ChaplaInCy 19 • CommemoRaTIons and pRayeRs 22 THE CATHOLIC COMMUNIty’S RECOVERY STRATEGY 25 • a CommunITy led ReCoveRy 29 • BushfIRe ReCoveRy psyChologICal seRvICes 30 • BushfIRe ReCoveRy CommunITy developmenT pRojects 32 • MEDIATION AND COMMUNITY LIAISON 32 • ECOTHERAPY 32 • SOCIAL GATHERINGS, OUTINGS AND GETawaYS 33 • ART THERAPY 36 • THE COMMUNITY ON GROUND AssISTANCE PROGRAM – A CREATIVE PaRTNERSHIP 41 WISDOM OF THE FIRE 44 FINANCIAL REPORT 46 THANK YOU TO DONORS, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF 48 AN EPIPHANY OF DEER 49 BEYOND BLACK SATURDAY 2009-2012 3 IN SUMMARY The Black Saturday Bushfires burnt across Victoria on and around continue to support individuals and rebuild communities Saturday 7 February 2009. The loss of life and the extent of long after emergency response services had left. Archbishop devastation was horrific. As the bushfires raged and reports came Hart appointed Sir James Gobbo to chair the committee in Catholics across Australia and throughout the globe offered which allocated these donations to services and projects fervent prayers for the victims. They then began to send money to for communities rebuilding after the deadliest firestorm in the Archbishop of Melbourne, the Most Reverend Denis J. Hart, to Australia’s European history. help those suffering in the aftermath of the bushfires. Almost $4 million was donated. This substantial amount Immediately the Archdiocese marshalled its resources funded some early activities of the Bushfire Recovery to provide a presence in the region. A Bushfire Recovery Chaplaincy Committee, three significant Bushfire Recovery Chaplaincy Committee was set up to oversee the influx of Services and a range of community projects for over three volunteers and facilitate regular and wide reaching reports on years. It also funded an evaluation of these activities by the disaster and the recovery effort. It also collaborated with Australian Catholic University, The Catholic Bushfire Recovery the Catholic Education Office in Melbourne to support affected Response, presented in 2012. In many cases, these services schools and with the Archbishop’s Office for Evangelisation to and projects have left communities in better shape than they develop a sensitive liturgy for the time. A Bushfire Recovery were before the catastrophe. Chaplaincy, dedicated to enhance pastoral activities in the The defining features of these Bushfire Recovery Services and most devastated parishes, commenced on 18 February 2009. their associated community projects reflect the dignity and An Inter-Agency Committee was also established with diversity of each person and their family, and a respect for all representatives from the members of Catholic Social Services cultures, religious beliefs and personal values. Each service was Victoria to devise, implement and review the best service designed to accommodate the changing needs of communities response to support the shattered communities. and arose from discussions, collaborations and partnerships with local residents, groups and organisations to meet the Two days after Black Saturday, Archbishop Hart established particular needs identified by the communities themselves. the Archbishop’s Charitable Fund Bushfire Appeal. The intention from the beginning was to provide long term recovery This report describes the services and projects made possible assistance to bushfire survivors. Assistance that would by the generosity of the Australian Catholic community. Y EMMY SILVIUS Y EMMY B 4 BEYOND BLACK SATURDAY 2009-2012 PHOTO BEYOND Black Saturday 2009-2012 A Message from Archbishop Denis Hart I remember our nation’s shock at the horror of the Black Saturday Bushfires. So many died. So many families were devastated. So many communities were torn apart. Survivors suffered the loss of loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods. Amidst the trauma, uncertainty and grief, Victorians gathered in solidarity with communities caught in the inferno’s path. During those days I witnessed the greatness of the human spirit—the selfless courage of fire fighters, police and emergency workers. Our Victorian community was joined through prayer and practical assistance by Australians across the country, as well as people and organisations from around the globe. People gave on a scale I have not experienced before. Despite feeling overwhelmed and powerless in the presence of such incomprehensible tragedy, I saw people stream to help, offering all that they could. I saw the resilience and stubborn resolve of survivors, and the love that resides in families and communities. I saw people who had lost everything comfort others, and I saw hope still shining in the hearts of children. In a world baptised by fire, the earth burnt black, charred trees stretched and leafless, it was this resilience, love and hope that reminded us of the promise of rebirth in the resurrected Christ. Archbishop Denis J. Hart DD Archbishop of Melbourne BEYOND BLACK SATURDAY 2009-2012 5 BEYOND Black Saturday 2009-2012 A Message from Sir James Gobbo Australian Catholics donated nearly $4 million to the Archbishop’s Charitable Fund Bushfire Appeal to help survivors of Australia’s worst bushfires. As the donations began to flow in, Archbishop Denis Hart approached me to chair the Archbishop’s Charitable O Fund Bushfire Appeal Committee. As chair of that BB committee I am privileged to have managed the distribution of these donations to those whose IR JAMES GO IR JAMES lives were changed so irrevocably on Saturday S 7 February 2009. It is an immense responsibility to honour this gift from the Catholic community – a gift that has made so much possible. These donations permitted the PHOTO COURTESY OF COURTESY PHOTO immediate establishment of a Bushfire Recovery Chaplaincy and financial assistance for bushfire survivors