It’s almost five years since the fires that burnt out homes in Wye River and saw Lorne evacuated at Christmas. No one who was here will forget it. It would be nice to think it was a freak event. But the fire storms of last summer in Victoria, NSW and Queensland suggest something different.
Friends of Lorne has teamed up with Aireys Inlet and District Association (AIDA) to offer a series of three, FREE one-hour webinars focussing on the changing nature of fires in the Otways. Each session will feature short talks by some of Australia’s top scientists and planners with representatives of local authorities also on hand for focussed discussion and Q & A.
This is a critical opportunity for all of us to learn about fire history from experts and the local frontline people who know our beautiful but fierce “backyard”. The series has strong support from the Surf Coast Shire, with Mayor Rose Hodge urging all residents and homeowners to take part.
The series is not about making your own fire plan. We all know the excellent job that the CFA do encouraging this every year. No. This event is different. This is the moment to consider the patterns of unplanned fires – the past, the future and what it may mean for all of us living on the Great Ocean Rd.
Among the group of speakers is David Lindenmayer from Australian National University. David has been studying fires for more than 40 years. He will speak to the forest and animal impact and what we should and should not do in fostering recovery processes. Kevin Tolhust from the University of Melbourne will present the story of fires in the Otways, the drivers and the models predicting what happens next – to the extent we can. Barbara Norman (University of Canberra) knows what it is like to lose a home to fire. Four generations of her family centred their family holidays around a house which was razed to the ground in Mallacoota last summer. Barbara is a professor of urban and regional planning. She will speak to the logic of the placement of towns, buildings and economic activities. Her session will consider the logic of where houses can be built, in terms of the recommendations from the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
Questions from the audience will occupy at least half of each one-hour session. This will be facilitated with help from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. It will link in with those people from Wye, Lorne and beyond who work tirelessly every year to reduce our risk. Here is where you will get a glimpse ‘inside story’ of what happens ‘behind the scenes’ when most of us are enjoying a day on the beach.
EVENT DATES AND TIMES (AEST) – note the time of day is different for each session.
SESSION 1: Thursday 10 September, 7:30 – 8:30 pm
Past present and future of unplanned fires
- David Lindenmayer. Long-term insights into the impacts of, and responses to, wildfires in Victoria
- Stephen Farrell. Trends, Futures & Extreme Events
SESSION 2: Monday 14 September, 10:00 – 11:00 am
The drivers of unplanned fires
- Janet Stanley. The human factors
- Kevin Tolhurst. Fires in the Otways – case studies
SESSION 3: Thursday 17 September. 3:00 – 4:00 pm.
Where to from here? Planning for unplanned fires
- Barbara Norman. Coastal planning: pathways and tools for increasing community resilience
- Justin Leonard. Managing the urban interface
It is hard to think about fire right now while we are cold, cranky and confined inside our homes. But you are urged you to register for this series. As residents and as citizens we may have to rethink the environment and our relationship to it. It’s terrific that this is a community-initiated event. Let’s see more like it. That is, conversations and debates in Lorne about what matters most to us. Let me know what other topics you would like to see covered at future events.
Taken together these sessions make up a journey through the many aspects of fire that we need to think about now and in the future. They end with a focus on planning and practicalities. Please join us in thinking about how we can limit the damage caused by unplanned fires in the future.
For more information on this series of webinars and to register, CLICK HERE
Contact Friends of Lorne ASAP if you think you might need technical help in joining by Zoom. Technical assistance will be provided for free but must be organised in advance. Email: committee@friendsoflorne.org.au
