Report on the Urban Design Framework Meeting

KINGLAKE RANGES, FLOWERDALE AND TOOLANGI

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND DESIGN FRAMEWORK

MEETING AND WORKSHOP

Held on Sunday 6^th June, 2010 at the Flowerdale Hall, more than 50 people attended the discussion to determine our community’s issues and priorities. The Workshop was attended by many Community members, by Kerry O’Neil and representatives from VBRRA, by representatives from the MSC and DPCD, by Noel Matthews from AECOM and by the Flowerdale Recovery Committee.

WHAT IS THE DESIGN FRAMEWORK?

The Urban Design Framework is designed to develop a long term planning process for the Flowerdale Valley, and to continue to review and revise the plan as circumstances change over time. The UDF looks 20+ years to the future. The UDF was started a few years ago and held up by the fires of February 2009.

URBAN DESIGN AND BUSHFIRE RECOVERY

The UDF does not interfere with Bushfire Recovery. Recovery continues and is centered primarily around replacement of lost assets and on post-fire community improvement projects, so it’s great to know that bushfire recovery does not have to wait for the UDF to be finished.

PURPOSE OF SUNDAY’S MEETING

The meeting was held to re-confirm the real issues which people in the Flowerdale Valley see as vital to the long term planning for our community. This was done by small group workshops which later fed their ideas into the main group. The aim was for the people of the Flowerdale Valley to have an active and vocal role in long term planning.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE FLOWERDALE VALLEY?

It is interesting that the major issues had not changed since before the fires. In some way, almost all the issues are inter-linked. Here are the major issues which emerged:

Communications

came up as a huge issue and covered things such as Community Connectedness, TV, Internet and Phone Reception, mail services, “One Town one Postcode”.

Travel

including transport services, road & bridge quality, roadside maintenance, bike safety, walking and bike tracks etc was discussed in detail and raised as a very important long term consideration for planning.

Population Growth & Employment

were very high on the priorities list, as they directly impact on the flavour of our community, on our children’s ability to stay in the Flowerdale Valley, and the infrastructure needed to support changing population.

The need for more Public Spaces

was very evident from the feedback and was identified as a serious long term issue for the Flowerdale Valley.

The Environment

including potable water strategies, waste management systems, roadside control, weed management etc was a recurring theme during the meeting.

Two messages came loud and clear from the meeting –

• One was that, for people to have confidence in long term planning, there is a need to see immediate evidence of action relating to “jobs on the books” right now. A clear example of this is the Bike/Walking Track which is a piece of existing infrastructure in desperate need of repair.
• The second message which did resonate strongly was that, while development and population growth are inevitable, the community would like to see growth, infrastructure and employment opportunities linked to the character of the Flowerdale Valley as it exists now.

It was great to attend another meeting which showed clearly that our community is united in our long term vision for the Flowerdale Valley. And a huge “thank you” to Mike at the Hazeldene Store who provided the yummy soup and bread for lunch.

Flowerdale Education Hub on the Move

The building at the Flowerdale School to create the Education Hub is moving well.

A big sign at the School shows the plan and an artist's impression together with an expected completion date of October 2010.







It is good to see the progress being made and I will take photos each week so we can have a time lapse series of the hub being built from the ground up.

Outcomes of Mediation

As many of you may be aware a petition of No Confidence in the Flowerdale Recovery Committee (FRC) was presented to the Murrindindi Bushfire Recovery Section 86 Committee by the Hazeldene Community Action Group (HCAG).

Following the petition it was agreed that a mediation session would be held between the FRC and HCAG. Agreement was reached as set out below:

Below is a direct transcription from the whiteboard notes taken at the meeting.

1. Monthly mtg of FRC-community- agencies at Community Hall = “Community Meeting”
2. MSC to ensure notice boards and suggestion boxes go in
3. FRC / MSC to consult on noticeboard location at first community meeting
4. Renew / replenish membership = public meetings and FRC meeting
5. Valuation of painting – pro bono – Location in Community House? - consultation
FRC to report back to community re: valuation
6. Jane and John to exchange ph nos
7. Men’s Shed, Comm Garden, Arts Studio – location - Spring Valley Rd residents consulted, next step community consultation MSC process and Jane to forward results of survey and stakeholders.
8. Comm House. Residents in Silver Creek Rd to be provided with copy of plans by Community House Inc. Consultation /feedback to be included
9. Donated Goods – Deb Symons to follow up
10. HCAG and FRC agreed that they had a good collaborative meeting and the outcomes are listed above.

(Signed by all present from HCAG and FRC, and the mediator)

The above was transcribed into the following Memorandum of Agreement:

Memorandum of Agreement from the
Flowerdale Community Recovery Committee and
Hazeldene Community Action Group Meeting

6th of May 2010

Below are the outcomes of a meeting between the Hazeldene Community Action Group and Flowerdale Community Recovery Committee on May 6th 2010. Both parties agree that this document is a true and accurate representation of what was agreed.

1. The monthly meetings of the Flowerdale Community Recovery Committee (CRC) to which agencies are invited will be conducted at the Flowerdale Community Hall as community meetings, and the input/participation of the community is encouraged and welcomed. (It may be necessary to change from the first Monday of the month).

2. Hazeldene Community Action Group (CAG) indicated that they were aware of the processes recently put in place, through the MBRRC, regarding membership on the Flowerdale CRC and, for this reason, accepted that the agreement reached in Point 1 was a manageable alternative to renewing/replenishing the Flowerdale CRC membership.

3. Murrindindi Shire Council (in collaboration with the Flowerdale CRC will arrange 5 notice boards and some suggestion boxes to be erected at locations to be determined.

4. Flowerdale CRC and Murrindindi Shire Council (MSC) will consult the community on potential locations for the notice boards/suggestion boxes at the first community meeting (resulting from Point 1 above).

5. Representatives of Hazeldene CAG will arrange valuation, on a pro bono basis, of a painting of Silver Parrot Creek donated to the community. Hazeldene CAG will report back to the Flowerdale CRC, the community, and VBRRA with the outcomes. The Flowerdale CRC will then arrange consultation on the future location of the painting. It was noted that the Community House is a possibility.

6. Jane Carey and John Burgess agreed to exchange contact details to assist future liaison.

7. a) It was noted that proposals for a Men’s Shed, Community Garden and Artist Studio at the Spring Valley Reserve have been discussed with residents adjoining the Reserve. MSC is planning to conduct wider community consultation at the Flowerdale Hall regarding the proposals for a Men’s Shed, Community Garden and Artist Studio, probably in early June.
b) Jane Carey advised that Hazeldene CAG has conducted a survey within the Hazeldene Community and will provide the results of the survey to VBRRA and the Flowerdale CRC. Data collected includes information regarding community infrastructure and all relevant results will be presented.

8. Residents in Silver Creek Road are to be provided with a copy of the Community House plans by Flowerdale Community House Incorporated’s Project Manager, when they are available. Consultation on the plans will be arranged at a date to be determined.

9. Deb Symons from VBRRA will follow up in relation to questions about donated goods and advise the Flowerdale CRC and Hazeldene CAG of the outcome of her investigations.

10. Hazeldene CAG and Flowerdale CRC agreed that they had a good collaborative meeting and the outcomes are listed above.

On point 1 regarding meetings the first of the FRC meetings with government agencies and community members will be held at 7.00pm at the Community Hall on 7th June, 2010.

On points 3 and 4 the location of the notice boards will be discussed at the meeting on 7th June.

On point 5 the painting has been provided to HCAG to arrange the valuation.

On point 8 the Project Control Group has appointed Antartica, to do the plans for the new community house and the work started two weeks ago. These plans will be made available as soon as they are to hand.

The Blackberry Bash - Turning a crisis into opportunity

The fires on Black Saturday caused massive destruction in the Flowerdale community but it also burned out most of the weeds and blackberry bushes that had created problems in the natural waterways and natural environment for many years. The photo of the king Parrot Creek above couldn't have been taken before Black Saturday and we are determined to ensure the creek is accessible and healthy.

Peter Auty got the community together and they decided to have the first blackberry Bash. Effectively the fires have created an opportunity to fully eradicate the noxious weeds with a concerted effort. The blackberry bash is being held today on the 6th December with many community members coming together working with sprayers and tools to get on top of the problem.


The Blackbery Bash held today is the start of a three year program to get things under control. It is great to see people across the community working together and it continues the spirit of collaboration, togetherness and tackling problems off our own bat that has emerged and continued to get stronger since the fires.

It also reinforces the importance of the natural environment to the community which is a key part of the overall recovery of Flowerdale.

Easy like a Sunday Morning - Hoof over Hills

After a big day on Saturday the Sunday ride headed out at 10.00am for a leisurely ride across the hills and along the fast flowing King Parrot Creek. Everybody was in good spirits and we caught up with some of the riders to talk about their "Hoof over" experience and also what is was like riding through the fire affected areas.

Flowerdale Garden Gnomes bring School Garden Back to Life

Over the last six months a group of parents known as the Flowerdale Garden Gnomes have put in an enormous effort together with the school staff and students to rebuild and repair the Primary School gardens that were severely damaged after the fires on Black Saturday.

It is a real inspiration to see the community banding together and making the gardens better than they were before. Many of the people in the video below lost all they had yet still worked tirelessly to get the gardens back.

Flowerdale Primary School has entered the School Garden Awardss and we wish all involved the best of luck in the awards.

Pete's Poem - Johnny and the Weasels

Back in April we posted Peter Auty's poem about the events of Black Saturday. That poem was read out at the memorial day and also in the Victorian Parliament. Peter is now on the Flowerdale Recovery Committee and has been working hard to drive the recovery effort in Flowerdale.

"Johnny and the Weasels" expresses the frustration felt in the Community by the slow process of recovery.

New TShirt Entry

We have had a new entry into the T Shirt competition, from a local Flowerdallian. We will be putting th designs to the Community when we next have a major get together.




Good article in the Herald Sun today about the difficulties of living in a caravan with the cold weather coming in.

Michael Somare visits the Flowerdale CFA

Sir Michael Somare, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea visited Flowerdale CFA last week as part of his state visit to Australia. Sir Michael had asked if he could visit disaster areas both in Victoria rleating to the bushfires and North Queensland relating to the floods.



Sir Michael Somare meets Captain Glen Woods from Flowerdale CFA

Flowerdale CFA members put on a lunch and Sir Michael mixed with members of the CFA and community. These visits are important to the Community to reinforce the support that is out there not only in Australia but also from our friends around the world

Community Meeting Update - 1st May 2009

A community meeting was held on Friday night at the Rec Reserve, the key topics covered were:

Communications - Julie Bateman has taken on the role of Community Communications. This will include building the database of addresses, send out regular information either by post or email on any topics that are of importance to the residents. This will cover events, meetings, information provided by VBRRA, services that are made available by organisations such as massage, photo recovery etc. If you know of people who aren't getting information let us know.

Service and Celebration - There is a community service and celebration to be held on 17th May at 1.00pm at the Moores Rd Reserve, which is behind the Flowerdale Hotel across the bridge to the left. This will include a service which will be led by Chaplaincy Australia, dedication to the lives lost, and then a celebration of the Flowerdale Community including music and food. The Service is open to all the Community and also those who have provided support to the Community since Black Saturday and we welcome anyone who has an interest in Flowerdale and would like to attend.

Firewood - There is split dry firewood coming to town, estimated time of arrival is Monday afternoon, it will be at the entrance to the Moores Rd Reserve.

Vicroads - Ian Barry provided a detailed overview of the issues related to the issues around roads since day 1 and are appointing a contractor via a tender process to work in Flowerdale to fix guard rails, trees, roadside stops, lines etc. Ian can be contacted 0357611861

Standpipe - The standpipe across the road from the Hotel will be operational from next week and be available for CFA or Farmers with affected dams or waterways.

Celebration at the School

Last night the community came together at the school for a celebration. The principal Ross Davis, or Mr D, wanted to have a celebration to thank all those who had helped save the school from the fires together with all of the people who had helped since. Mr D also brought up all the staff for a well deserved thank you.

There were probably about 150 people there from young to old. It was a great night and the Flowerdale community spirit was in the air. There were plenty of smiles and laughs as people took a break from the rigours of battling through the last seven weeks.

At about 8.00pm Mr D took centre stage and shared with us some of the wonderful stories from the school since Black Saturday. One of the former students who enrolled in 1939 had been up to visit as a reminder of how long the school has been around. He also shared with us visits from other schools where people had driven from NSW, Canberra and even a group who loaded up a trailer from Tasmania and came across on the ferry. He read some of the letters of support that had been received from other school kids as young as seven. The support has been unbelievable, and had a few tears in peoples's eyes.

Mr D then played a collection of photos with "I am Australian" as the backing track. Pictures of the kids, parents, staff and celebrities such as Shane Warne, Chris Martin and Noni Hazelhurst had everyone crying by the end. In Flowerdale there is no embarrassment when people show their emotions, life is very real.

The tears were not of sadness more the sort of joy you experience when the love and support from across Australia and the world comes to the fore. Somehow seeing how much people care just brings out raw emotion in a positive and healing way.

Mr D then presented plaques commemorating the efforts of those who saved the school to be displayed in the key gathering points in the town, namely, the Rec Reserve, the pub, the hall, the shop and CFA.

Lyn Gunter, the Mayor of Murrindindi, who is a Flowerdale resident, also said a few words. It is hard to comprehend how hard Lyn has worked in the last seven weeks as here Shire covers Flowerdale, Marysville, Kinglake, Kinglake West and Narbethong. She is looking tired but is still going hard at it and has a positive attitude.

It was also good to see the warm applause for everyone who got up to speak or receive a plaque, the community is united and focused on the future, that is what is making a difference up here.

The other thing that provided the background noise was the kids all playing together. They had a fantastic night and really enjoyed themselves. It is amazing how quickly kids accept their lot and just get on and have a good time. It is something we can all learn from.

In short, a great night in a great community, thanks to all those who made it happen.

I love it when a plan comes together

When the Premier came to Flowerdale on 4th March the most important thing he said as far as the community was concerned was "this is a community government partnership". It was also at that time that Christine Nixon had visited the town in her new role as head of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority. On that day we handed over our plans for the temporary village.

The execution of the temporary village plan has been happening fast and the good news is that the government and VBRRA are delivering. The next eight flat pack semi permanent units are coming next week. Power will be on by next Friday and the design for a communal kitchen has been accepted and will get going soon. As I mentioned previously the road and lighting are in train.

It has been a smooth process and the speed with which things are moving gives us great confidence in the VBRRA. They have also helped us navigate other departments, for example they have been able to fast track our fundraising permit through Consumer Affairs.

While Flowerdale has been called the DIY town for our approach of getting on with things ourselves, the key thing we did was to get our plans in place and work with a wide range of people and organisations from the corporate, philanthropic and govermnent sectors.

It bodes well for the future as we start to think about the rebuilding phase. A key focus will need to be on sustaining Flowerdale's community spirit and ethos, while providing a sustainable future in terms of the environment, infrastructure and economy.

The Royal Commission was in town yesterday in a closed session. It is the start of what will be a long process to ensure that the events of Black Saturday are not seen again. If you couldn't get there and have ideas for prevention we have set up a website at firevoice.uservoice.com which is collecting ideas for presentation to the Royal Commission. You can add you ideas or simply vote or comment on the ideas that are there.

Although I wasn't in town on Black Saturday I have put in a number of ideas around communication. I know I was trying to get information on what was happening and there were major issues around the timeliness of information on 774, lack of detail coming out of the CFA and the DSE website wasn't working. I was trying to get updates on Flowerdale during the day but there was nothing coming through. We would really appreciate your input and ask that you spread the word.

Slash helps out and so do many others

Great story in the Herald Sun today about local resident Gavin Duggin being sent a guitar by Slash from Guns'n'Roses. It is amazing to see the way that the stories of bushfire affected people touch the hearts of so many.



The guy handing over the guitar is Wes Carr from Australian Idol, must admit i have lost track of Idol people since Guy Sebastian, but good on you Wes for doing it. At least you look like a rock star.

We also got contacted today by Neville and Leslie Woollard, a couple who are passionate metal detectors, with all the latest high tech equipment. They have offered to use their detectors to recover any jewellery, coins, medals or other metal items that may have survived the fires. if you are interested in taking up the offer let John Burgess know, he has their contact details. Alternatively ping me an email and I can arrange with John, pewilliams@deloitte.com.au.

The Beaconsfield Kindergarten donated some money to the kindergarten and Trudy Fraser who is involved with a Kindergarten for deaf children has also donated some books. All of these fantastic offers of cash and assistance are coming through the donations site www.flowerdalerelief.com. The site was built by some of the graduates from Eclipse, the web company I used to run. It was done in a hurry but is working. We also will have our fundraising permit sorted by tomorrow, thanks to Emma at VBRRA and Consumer Affairs Victoria for helping us get this through so fast. We will then be able to officially take donations.

I also ran into a couple of guys who do tree lopping from Perth. They were in town for a few days and made some friends. They are coming back on 30th March to do quotes and will start work on 3rd April, they are also looking for help from local contractors. Their email address is elementstreesolutions@yahoo.com.au if you want to contact them either for tree lopping or to pick up some work.

CPR for Dummies and Chris Martin says hello

I was wondering what to write today so I jumped on to the photo stream from the village on Flickr and was totally confused by what I saw.



Then I realised it was the guys doing their CPR first aid training. I was the dummy in this case. This has been organised by Billy Price and the CFMEU, great to see community members taking initiative, using their networks and helping lots of other community members in the process



Now we haven't been known for complaining since the fires, more just getting on with it, despite the hardships; but I had heard around the rec reserve that people were getting a little over sausages. Not that the Hales Institute team weren't doing their best to be a creative and I was a fan of the curried sausages but there hadn't been a lot else on the menu.



The problem was we had a lack of access to a meat supply. The great news is that we now have an account at the Yea Butcher and the menu diversity will be back to what it was.

A mate of mine was at the Coldplay concert in Sydney and let me know that Chris Martin, recent visitor and friend of Flowerdale, had arranged for a few Flowerdallians to get to the concert and said hello to them from the stage. What a top guy, his visit up here was a great thrill to many and Viv from the pub is still talking about it.

The portable chalets, or in local lingo, the dongas, have been wired up and are ready to go.

We are looking at getting in a road around the site so everything will be accessible if it gets wet. It wasn't really bad this week but you could see that it could get bad pretty quickly if there was some heavy rain.

Moving in and some useful links

The first two semi permanent units were occupied today which is a great milestone. The wet weather has made things a bit muddy but not too bad. We will need to get things done before winter arrives and we are working on it.

The Victorian Bushfire Recovery and Reconstruction Authority has launched a web site at www.wewillrebuild.vic.gov.au. Not much there yet but should be a key source of information on the activities of the VBRRA as things unfold.

There are a couple of Kinglake Ranges websites www.kando.org.au, and the Kinglake Region Business Network, www.krbn.com.au, which has lots of information for business owners in the region.

I have been asked about local contractors getting involved in the cleanup, Grocon are coordinating the work and have an email address firecleanup@grocon.com.au hazardous goods need to be cleared by A and B class removalists. So email them and someone tell Stylesy because I cant find his number.

This morning the Herald Sun published a story on Warnie and Chris Martin's secret visit to Flowerdale, well you heard it first on the Flowerdale Blog 10 days ago, (bloggers just love it when they beat the traditional media to the story)

You are welcome as we look to the future

It is great to see the number of visitors to Flowerdale dropping by the Pub and Shop and giving the community moral support. The main thing people say is that they feel like they are intruding; rest assured we welcome you to come to town. I handed out a heap of car stickers for our relief fund www.flowerdalerelief.com so the visitors can make a contribution by maintaining a level of awareness of what is happening here.

We were pleased to see our friends in Marysville moving along the temporary village path to keep the community together and get momentum for rebuilding.

Today a few of us are getting to look to the future and identify what projects we want for the longer term. In addition we are completing the Fundraising Permit paperwork and should be able to take cash donations rather than pledges next week.

The residents who went to Sound Relief got home about 1.30am this morning, soggy but inspired with the support from the Australian Music Industry and the Australian people.

The key message from yesterday was that if we stick together with our unique Aussie sense of mateship and community we can together overcome any adversity. I think it also reinforces that the best way to achieve happiness is through what you can do for others. I have had a lot of expats from other countries in the last month say to me that there is something special in the Aussie spirit and ability to band together, that they didn't see in their home countries. I think we often don't see it because it has always been there in us.

The other message was that no matter how tough it gets things come back around. The grass, creek, trees and wildlife in Flowerdale are showing us how and that belief in a better future keeps us driving forward.



I spent an hour last weekend watching a pair of magnificent Wedge Tailed eagles rebuilding a nest in a burnt out tree in a burnt out forest. Maybe it wasn't the ideal living scenario but they were home, they were staying and getting on with it. The joy they gave us as they soared majestically overhead gave us a renewed sense of purpose. Hopefully you can find some of that in your life everyday, no matter how tough the future challenges may appear. Don't be scared to ask for help, your fellow Aussies will step in for you.

Roads are open, Grass is greener

Drove up today and the roadblocks that had seemed like a permanent presence have gone. Anyone wanting to visit can drive up to Whittlesea and drive along the Whittlesea-Yea Rd and get into Flowerdale. Personally, I think that it is worth taking the drive just to get an understanding of the scale of the disaster. Make sure you drop into the shop and pub if you go through, they need the business!

Lots of the survivors went to the Sound Relief concert not sure where the tickets came from but thanks to whoever gave them to us. Pity about the weather, but I am sure the support and goodwill from a full MCG crowd will give them all a boost. Great to see the Oils, Hunners and Enz back together for this event.

With some rain on the hill the grass that was once black is now reshooting and a tinge of green is is coming through. There were even a few of the gum trees starting to show signs of new growth. The King Parrot Creek was getting some reasonable flow which also must be good.

We had a good community meeting last night and the mood of the Community remains good. It is the sense of community that has helped get us to where we are now and will sustain us into the future. Of course there will be frustrations but I think Flowerdale has shown that it can jump any hurdles put in its way.

The rec reserve continues to move and we took up some more laptops and xboxs today (thanks Steve), we are trying to grab another portable site office to set up an internet cafe and games area. That is tomorrow's job.

We are starting to put together some ideas for longer term projects that will provide additional amenities and infrastructure for the future. If anyone has ideas please leave a comment.

40 locals get "Red Cards" and in search of TShirt Designers

The CFMEU were on site yesterday and trained 20 locals so they can receive their "Red Card", effectively a ticket to enable them to work on building sites and another 20 will be trained today. Next week we will train them on asbestos safety. This will allow locals to be actively involved in the clearing and rebuilding phases. Feels good to be thinking about the next stage and helping locals get employment.

The DHS is now organised for housing allocation and more of the semi permanent 2 bedroom units will be constructed. we are working with DHS and the Salvation Army to furnish the units and that process is running pretty smoothly.

We also are running a tshirt design competition so we can get some cash into our Flowerdale Relief Fund. If you are a designer or know one tell them to go to http://www.australianedge.net/ and submit a design. Might be good for a school as well.




The village keeps rolling along, we have put down synthetic grass around the portable chalets in readiness for the rain that has now decided to fall after a three month holiday.

Bushfire Funds to go to victims

Here is an extract from a press release from the Premier's office this morning

"More than $130 million in donations to the Bushfire Appeal Fund will be distributed to people whose houses were destroyed or partially destroyed by this year’s devastating bushfires, the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund Advisory Panel Chair John Landy and the Premier John Brumby announced today. Mr Landy said all homeowners whose principal place of residence was destroyed by the bushfires would receive a Rebuilding and Recovery Grant of $50,000. This consists of $35,000 for rebuilding and $15,000 to replace contents.

Tenants whose principal place of residence was destroyed by the bushfires will receive a $15,000 payment for contents lost or damaged.

Mr Landy said people whose homes were partially destroyed by the bushfires and who will need to relocate during rebuilding will receive a payment of $15,000 for costs associated with repairs and rebuilding."

The full press release is at http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/premier/bushfire-appeal-funds-to-help-communities-rebuild.html

A busy day and we meet the Ride of Fire

Things were pretty hectic yesterday, the generator running the coolroom ran out of fuel, a couple of other things broke down and plenty of work was happening on site. Things were sorted by the end of the day thanks to some quick action by the locals and DHS stepped in to sort out the fuel supply problem. Once we get power to the site things will be OK but these things happen when you are doing it on the fly.

At 1.30 we got a call from Boyd Jackson, he has organised a Harley ride down from Cairns to raise money for bushfire victims and was in Yea. Having ridden 4000kms we thought it only fair he ride another 20 and come into town. Harleys are a common site around Flowerdale so I told him he would be more than welcome, also to get his skates on so he could get lunch at the pub. Boyd and his group have raised $40,000 for the bushfire appeal. I will try to grab some pics once Boyd gets back online. See www.rideoffire.com

The guys had a look at the destruction zone and then visited the village. I spoke to Boyd last night, he was overwhelmed with the scale of the disaster but also amazed at how the community has banded together to get things going. He said that he was going to ensure the group become "Friends of Flowerdale" and will continue to do what they can to help those affected by the fires.

My old mate Steve Outtrim, one of the pioneers of the internet, dropped by with an armful of xBoxes and games. These are so important because many kids coming back have not much to do and can be quite a handful. Thanks Steve.

Who knows what today will bring, no doubt we will have our challenges but we will work through them and keep marching on.