This is why we laugh

Disasters are serious events with serious consequences. Our newsfeeds, our conversations, our days are filled with images of despair, destruction, sadness and anger. As I’ve written previously, this can be overwhelming and paralysing. It’s hard to think about humour and laughter in these circumstances. There have been many times when I’ve shared a laugh in […]

We need to be patient

Another blog turn over, this time to Lauren Kerr (another disaster recovery specialist on maternity leave, and one of The Laurens..we had four at one stage in the team), who has some importance reminiscences about her time after the Margaret River fires in WA back in 2011. Over to you, Lauren… I’m disheartened to see […]

This is deeper than we think

I was having a yarn at work with Ben, a proud Gunaikurnai man (and ripper drummer) about the fires. His mob, in what we call Gippsland, are right in the path of the fires, and there’s been huge stress on them. I learned a lot, as I always do from talking with our first nations […]

The hidden benefits of the local fundraiser

Hello again, Kate Brady here, crashing John Richardson’s blog while he is on a break. In the last weeks, my news and social media feeds have been filled with images and invitations from people who are holding fundraisers to contribute money to support the people affected by the recent (and ongoing) disasters. There have been […]

This is how long it takes

How long is recovery. It depends. I know that is not a helpful answer at all. Politicians want answers. Funders want answers. Media wants answers. And the people just want to know what is ahead of them. This brings me back to a post that I wrote a couple of years ago, How long is […]

This is how we lead recovery.

We are at a critical point, as recovery starts to ramp up, and the structures around recovery are formed. We have a new national agency, we have a new state agency, all working out what their role will be in recovery. There will be a temptation to ride in on a white charger to save […]

The subtle art of being patient

Hi, my name is Kate Brady and John has been kind enough to let me write a guest post for his blog. I am the National Recovery Adviser for the Australian Red Cross and recently completed my PhD looking at what people who have been affected by disasters think is most helpful when recovering. I […]

This is how we are feeling

These fires are unprecedented. Nationwide. Creating their own weather like some Marvel Movie. a political shitstorm. Extraordinary generosity. And no end in sight. There are a number of intersections we’ve not really seen before, and this is provoking a collective anxiety. It almost fits what we call a collective trauma event, where the very foundations […]

This is how we stay safe

The situation remains dynamic, the fire threat is ever present and this will shape actions in the days, weeks, and possibly months to come. There will be good days, and bad days, anxious days, and relieved days, exhausted days, and fun days, clear days, and fuzzy days. For many clean up begins, decisions on where […]

This is how we get ready.

The sweet sound of rain this week has given many people a few days of welcome respite from the harrowing days and weeks of before. We know that the pause though, is short, and increased fire danger will return, threatening new communities. Despite all the warnings, we still hear of people getting out just in […]