Getting ready for the road ahead

Next week will be a big one for Flowerdale. With the Temporary Village continuing to grow and the operational side bedding down we are now looking to the future.

The Community Committee is making contact with a range of organisations to get an understanding of the options for the community going forward. The information gathered will be presented back to the community for input. We are also seeking input from the community as to the issues or opportunities that they want covered so we can make the necessary contacts. The Community Committee will not make the decisions, this will be done through the community meetings. At this stage it is an information gathering process to ensure the community knows what the options are and have the right amount of knowledge to make decisions going forward.

We have started the process of getting childcare in place and are liaising with the Shire of Murrindindi to put something in place quickly. We are also working with Community House to look at potential future options.

We are meeting with VBRRA on Monday to get a better idea of its view of what will happen in the longer term which will be reported back to the community.

We will also be meeting with the Australian Childrens Trust, the foundation of Andrew Forrest, to see how we can work with them for the longer term.

The Peter Cosgrove visit will also give us valuable insight into planning for the future based on his experience in Disaster Management and Recovery.

We will also be talking to some of the Corporations and Philanthropic Groups that have expressed their interest in helping out in the longer term. The amount of support out there for Flowerdale is amazing. Everyone we talk to is keen to help.

We encourage everyone to attend the Community meeting on Friday to provide input and direction to the Community Committee, as this process needs to be driven by the community to make it work.