A rebate in property rates and continued support for mental health and wellbeing in bushfire-affected communities are two high-priority items a new recovery committee is advocating for in the Strathbogie Shire.
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While it might have been almost 10 months since the Longwood Bushfire razed the region, it’s still only early days in a recovery that will take years.
Ruffy Community Recovery Committee Inc — formed in June — chair David Russell said the group of 13 representatives and residents had been calling for rates relief for fire-impacted properties.
“When people receive their rates notices, there’s further impact,” Mr Russell said.
“The property market value has gone down because of the fire, but rates are still payable, even on properties that might be completely devastated.
“The arrival of a rates notice is not well celebrated by anyone, but if you’ve got nothing left and it arrives and you still have to pay ... you know, a rates rebate would be meaningful.”
Mr Russell said that reducing rates was not a decision Strathbogie Shire Council alone could make, and that local politicians had joined the fight for action.
“Strathbogie Mayor Scott Jeffery and chief executive officer Rachelle Quattrocchi have been to parliament with (state Member for Euroa) Annabelle (Cleeland); locals have signed a petition,” he said.
The petition, sponsored by Ms Cleeland, was presented in September and calls for three years of council rate relief and three years of relief from the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund levy for properties destroyed or severely damaged in the January bushfires.
Mr Russell has lived in Ruffy for eight years.
He became a permanent resident when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, working from home on his lifestyle property.
While he has lived in the Dandenong Ranges before and has had experience with bushfires, the Longwood Bushfire was the first time he had a property directly impacted.
While his house survived, he lost a machinery shed and tractor, gardens and fences.
“I’m surrounded by farms held by families who have been in the area for 100 years,” he said.
“You really feel for them.”
There are around 160 people who live in the Ruffy area.
“There’s hardly anyone who wasn’t affected,” Mr Russell said.
“Their livelihood’s gone; their lives have been changed.”
He welcomed Governor-General Sam Mostyn’s recent visit to fire-affected areas, saying it was “an excellent decision on her part to be here and spend a day in the district, speaking to people to understand what’s going on”.
Many issues were brought to her attention, including wellbeing and mental health now and into the future when people who might not have needed help yet, will need help.
“It’s been a struggle for some people to get the help they need,” Mr Russell said.
“There’s good people working on it, but it’s getting the connection between impacted residents and providers; it’s not as easy as it sounds.”
Ms Mostyn toured the Creighton’s Creek area on October 8, stopping at the BlazeAid camp set up at the CFA hall there, Fowles Wine and Lindsay Park Stud, before making her way to Euroa to meet with councillors, suppliers and recovery committees.
Mr Russell said Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell and Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines, who was the victim of an alleged deliberate vehicle attack on October 19 and has since had both of her legs amputated, were in attendance.
“Helen has been to Ruffy several times since the fires,” Mr Russell said.
“Everyone who’s met her knows what she’s about and what she was doing.
“She has been committed to her community as an independent MP; it’s hard to grasp (what’s happened).”
In a tough time for the region, Mr Russell said it was important for his community to have things to look forward to.
“It gets depressing, people lose hope, people have lost hope,” he said.
He referred to the rebuilding of the Tablelands Community Centre and Ruffy Recreation Reserve buildings, saying council would make a commitment to those projects because they were on council property.
“The community needs to be able to look forward to that,” Mr Russell said.
In the meantime, the Ruffy Public Hall is still being used every day.
“That’s where events are held, that’s where people are getting their information from,” Mr Russell said.
“The hall has become the centre with movie nights and something on almost every weekend, whether for a cup of tea, to gather together, have a chat.
“We have cuppas on Tuesdays when the shire brings up their people and Mental Health and Wellbeing Local have been coming up.”
Almost 10 months on from the fire, Mr Russell says some opportunities had been missed by members of the community due to poor communication.
“With some government grants and the likes, they have cut-off dates,” he said.
“If you’re eligible, there shouldn’t be a cut-off; applications can be daunting and should be assisted.”
The Ruffy Community Recovery Committee Inc meets monthly.