A booklet entitled Clifton Creek Recovery – Looking to the Future has recently been printed and is currently being distributed to community members throughout the Clifton Creek Bushfire recovery area.
This booklet outlines the process undertaken to engage a broad range of community members to finalise a Community Plan for Clifton Creek.
It documents the journey of a community recovering from the severe impacts of the Black Summer Bushfire on the evening of December 30, 2019, and follows on from the first detailed document: The Clifton Creek Community Recovery Survey Report dated October 2020.
The process for gathering the information for the booklet was designed to facilitate discussion with as many people within the broad community as possible.
Throughout November 2023, six Kitchen Table Conversations (KTC) were held in people’s homes and public infrastructure locations within the broad Clifton Creek area, with more than 60 people participating in the process.
Two voluntary members of the Clifton Creek Recovery Team, an East Gippsland Shire representative and a paid facilitator organised the sessions and contributed to the preparation of the document.
The purpose of the conversations was to:
– Capture additional input from all of Clifton Creek’s diverse residents.
– Determine if there is anything else that may be included to enable the finalisation of a Clifton Creek Community Plan.
– Acknowledge the enormous amount of work undertaken to assist the community on its recovery path.
– Update community priorities and actions.
Some of the key themes from these sessions included:
– The strength of community members working together.
– The ongoing contribution of the Country Fire Authority.
– Acknowledgement of a diverse range of people living within the community.
– The benefit of social events.
– Continuation of the Newsletter and use of the Blackboard as respected and beneficial ways of sharing news and upcoming events.
As a result of these consultations, a number of actions were identified and prioritised for ongoing action based on a strong level of community support and a positive likelihood of being implemented.
These priorities are detailed in the booklet.
Information from this Clifton Creek booklet and all previous community engagement activities will be incorporated into the development of a Bairnsdale Place Plan to be developed with the assistance of East Gippsland Shire Council at a later date.
Overall, the community consultation was an overwhelmingly positive exercise reflecting the goodwill and generosity of the community.
It has meant that a significant portion of the broad Clifton Creek community has had an input into ideas for the future.
Thanks are extended to everyone involved in conversations, contributions and thoughts throughout November 2023 and also to those involved in the production of the beautifully presented booklet.
