Wannon is a small town west of Hamilton in the state’s west. Its community had differing views about bushfire planning until a Community-Based Bushfire Management (CBBM) officer stepped in to help.
Disagreement over fuel loads and perceived fire risk in local reserves, division between locals and no community cohesiveness, made attempts at community bushfire preparedness difficult.
CBBM is a community development project (and part of the Victorian Government’s Safer Together Program) which aims to build relationships between agencies, community members and local government in an effort to reduce bushfire risk.
In 2019, the CBBM program provided funding to Southern Grampians Shire Council to employ a CBBM officer to work with the Wannon community. The results of the officer’s five-month placement were little short of remarkable and the positive community outcomes continue to be felt five years after the CBBM project ended.
The CBBM journey helped transform the Wannon residents to work together, including active participation at community events – something that was unthinkable before the program began.
The process included 'listening posts', community information nights (including the use of the SIM table that simulates fire behaviour – pictured above), public field days, site inspections with subject matter experts, wildflower walks, and community working bees. This led to a shared understanding of bushfire risk, and an agreed pathway to reduce the risk was developed with support from agencies and the local council.
The community and agencies developed a vegetation management plan for Wannon bushland reserves. This identified a need to manually reduce the over-abundant hedge wattle bushes, which had spread because of decades without fuel reduction burning. In turn, this would lead to ecological improvements in the endangered grassy woodland communities.
The vegetation management plan was the catalyst for agencies to significantly reduce the fine-fuel biomass in the reserves. The manual works were funded over three years by CFA's Vegetation Management Program using local contractors. Today community working bees ensure that hedge wattle seedlings are removed annually, with residents adopting shared responsibility.
Secretary of the Wannon-Nigretta Community Group Shirley Bramley put pen to paper in the group’s newsletter to applaud the outcomes of the project.
“It is very rewarding after so many years of frustration to see our local Falls Reserve as a woodland, rather than wall-to-wall hedge wattle,” Shirley said.
“CFA Vegetation Management Officer Andy Govanstone’s friendly manner, knowledge and diplomacy made workshops, listening posts and site visits informative and enjoyable. Although many were very sceptical, Andy’s determination and knowledge have produced excellent results with more hopefully to come.
“I wish to acknowledge the Victorian State Government’s Safer Together project in partnership with the Southern Grampians Shire Council, for delivering this wonderful result to the Wannon community’s reserves. On behalf of the Wannon community, we thank you so very much and look forward to the continued improvement of these unique community assets.”
Wannon Hall now fills to the brim each year as Christmas approaches for the community get-together. It’s described as Wannon's social event of the year. It never happened before CBBM gave the community the opportunity to work together, to repair and reset with a shared way forward to reduce the bushfire risks.
| Submitted by |
Andrew Govanstone |