Page 14 The Moorabool News – 14 June, 2022
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One Year On - Catch-Up and Book Launch By Carol Saffer Two community catch-ups to acknowledge one year since a significant storm event occurred on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 will be hosted by Moorabool Shire Council’s Storm Recovery Team. Council CEO Derek Madden said, “With over 1,000 properties impacted across the Shire and thousands of trees down in the forest and on private land, we’re holding these get-togethers to acknowledge this event’s impact on our community and everything done to recover since.” This event compounded the loss of power, communications, landlines and mobiles, and network coverage. More than 1000 homes were without power after the first 24 hours, and more than half the Shire did not have landlines, mobiles or network coverage. Council said it responded, working closely with emergency service agencies in the initial hours and days of the storm. The council deployed staff and contractors to remove tree debris from roads to re-establish access. While emergency efforts were also looking at the communities affected, the trauma experienced, and the relief and recovery needed. Korweinguboora resident Matt Childs describes the experience of the storm “as though my family and I were going to die with trees coming down all around us.” “It was like multiple mini earthquakes with vibrations shaking the house; it was an extremely traumatic event,” he said. One Year On events will be held at
the Blackwood Recreation Reserve on Sunday, June 19, from 11.00am to 3.00pm and the following Sunday, June 26, at the Korweinguboora Recreation Reserve at the same times. They are a chance for the storm impacted community to catch up with emergency service responders and recovery agencies one year after the disaster. Lunch is provided, and there are planned activities for kids. Mr Childs has mixed feelings about the proposed One Year On event. “On one hand, it would be good to catch up with the locals and bring them together, but on the other, it sounds like a bit of a celebration event with fairy floss and a book launch,” he said. “It also feels like the council thinks the clean-up phase is complete, and they can move on. I estimate it will take another five years or more to clean up our block.” Mr Childs said the Storm Recovery Team provided fencing posts for his land. “However, DELWP are refusing to make safe compromised trees on their land which are threatening to fall over our fence line, so it seems pointless and dangerous to repair our fence,” he said. “Council and DELWP have still not cleared tree debris from next to our access road, posing a serious bushfire risk.” Bushfire Recovery Victoria was on-site last November and made safe several compromised trees (partly fallen) around the house and infrastructure. “Central Highlands Rural Health has been great,” Mr Childs added. Moorabool Mayor, Cr Tom
Sullivan, will launch the Storm Recovery Book on both days. The book, put together by Moorabool Shire Council’s Storm Recovery Team, is a collection of community stories, interviews and photos, documenting Moorabool’s experience on the night of the storm and the recovery journey since. In December 2021, the storm impacted community members expressed an interest in a creative outlet for their storm stories and experiences. The idea of a book was inspired by a similar project undertaken by the Scotsburn Community Recovery Committee following the fires in 2015-2016. It aims to assist in social recovery and provide a physical reminder of the Moorabool community’s journey together since the storm. “They are part of the recovery journey and are just a way of reconnecting,” Mr Madden said. Mr Childs said his teenage daughter feels anxious and can’t sleep when there is windy weather. “My wife feels anxious when driving under leaning trees. We all worry about trees falling and destroying our house or blocking access to the road again, especially in bushfire weather.” Mr Madden said this style of community get-together is often held after significant disasters, including the 2015 Scotsburn Bushfires. “It is also about the community, many of whom provided the Storm Recovery Book input.” Residents should RSVP to assist with catering by calling (03) 5366 7100 or emailing info@moorabool. vic.gov.au
Cherie Graham, MSC Chief Emergency Management Officer with the Storm Recovery Book to be launched at Blackwood and Korweinguboora. Photo - MSC
Characters create memories By Carol Saffer Local mum and business owner Jen Wallis has a passion for making every child’s birthday memorable. Jen started Kids Parties Mascots in 2020 when she realised more than 100 mascot costumes were sitting in her garage as leftovers from a previous corporate business she had in Queensland. “At the time, I thought to myself, I can sell all these costumes, which is a lot of work, or I could get off my bottom and try doing something new with them,” she told the Moorabool News. Thus, her new children’s entertainment business was born when she created family treasure hunts events for people’s front and backyards with an easter bunny mascot over Easter that year. Like many other businesses, “I was destroyed by COVID,” she said. As a woman with initiative who thinks quickly on her feet, she pivoted to front door visits where the mascots would interact with the kids from outside their homes. However, she said there was a plus side to lockdowns for her business. “Because their kids had missed out on two or three birthdays in a row, I found a huge demand from parents to make up for the lost birthdays,” Ms Wallis said. “I was fanatical about making that special birthday extra amazing, and together with
my team, we brought those kids’ favourite characters to life.” There are 100 different characters to choose from for a party or an event. The mascot character and a host work together at each hour-long event, with a focus on the birthday child, interacting with them and making them feel special. The host organises the activities on the day in conjunction with the parents. “The hosts might supervise a treasure hunt,
play pass the parcel with the kids, encourage dance game parties, help them decorate cupcakes or engage them with art and craft making,” Ms Wallis said. On the rare occasion when the birthday child is scared of the character, the host then works with the parents to slowly get them together and create a fun time. “We aim to make memories for the birthday child they will still remember in two years’ time.”
Kids Parties Mascots can cater for parties held almost anywhere; at home, in play centres, restaurants or in a park. “Every party is completely different; whether there are two children of 50, we always strive to provide a happy time filled with fun, activities and interaction with our mascots.” You can find a mascot for your upcoming party on social media.