Since February, Centrelink has been supporting a majority of people who lost their jobs as a result of the fires. In a push to retrain locals and help them find alternative employment, Rural Skills Connect (RSC) has been providing free skills training courses.

RSC was started in early 2008 designed to assist drought affected farmers. Since February, the program has broadened it scope to accommodate bushfire affected business and individuals.

Debra Shaddock is the project manager of RSC for the Southern Hume Region. She says 118 bushfire impacted people have registered with RSC since February.

“It is the aim of the project to bring the training to the people where possible,” says Ms. Shaddock.

“The project also works closely with businesses to determine its needs so that training is appropriate and targeted. The perfect end result is a job for the participant and an employee for the business.”

These courses are designed to give people the skills they need to gain employment in this new environment. Courses on offer include: machine operating, occupational health and safety certificates, traffic management and food handling.

Matthew Lovett was the foreman at G.B. Timber at Narbethong until it was destroyed on Black Saturday. The future of the mill was left uncertain and with little timber left in the area fit for harvesting, over 20 locals were left without work.

“I did nothing for three months after the fires,” Mr Lovett says.

Since then RSC has helped him gain new skills. Mr. Lovett used the program to obtain his bobcat, excavator and chainsaw licences which helped him find employment. Mr. Lovett is now working for Branching Out, a company employed to help in the cleanup process in the devastated areas.

“I’ve always wanted to drive bobcats and excavators and now I am, I’m far better off job wise now, than before and I’ve got more skills,” he says.

The employment landscape is changing and locals are adapting. The future of this area’s economy is evolving and with it are its residents.

The screen was previously installed at Melbourne’s Federation Square but has been in storage for the past two years after a new one replaced it. It has now been leased to the Marysville and Triangle Development Group (MATDG) in the hope it will generate tourist interest in the fire devastated town.

MATDG Chairman Graham Brown said at a meeting on Sunday that, “We hope it will help stimulate the economy,” and “attract the tourists”.

Mr. Brown indicated that the screen would play an integral role in AFL Grand Final and Spring Racing Carnival celebrations. He also said that it has the potential to display images of the town and broadcast free to air television and movies. However, the televised content will be decided by a committee put in place to manage the screen over the 21 weeks.

The 21 week lease of the screen has cost $100 000, which has been partly funded by the Alexandra Rotary Club. The monitor was originally scheduled for a 17 week lone but this has been extended.

Marysville's New Addition

Locals have embraced the new addition to the town, but many expressed frustration at Sunday’s MATDG meeting. There was anger over priorities between tourists and locals; with many residents expressing concern over the amount of funding being poured into events while people still continue to live in a disaster zone.

At a meeting held last Friday, the new plans for the community building were unveiled. Two designs were revealed to the group of 40 locals who attended. The architectural and design work has been donated to the Narbethong Hall Committee by Architects Australia, Emergency Architects and Bligh Voller Nield (BVN) as a part of the bushfire assistance.

The new designs reflect the natural surrounds and incorporate elements of the local timber industry in the proposed building materials. Both designs have the capacity to hold large celebrations and small meetings, with standing room from 150 people and formal seating for 100.

The function and design of the new hall facility will be to “demonstrate the life of the community,” said BVN representative Ninotschka Titchkosky.

Jacqui Tyacke has been a local to this area her whole life and has fond memories of the previous building, “I had my 21^st there back in 1996,” she says.

Proposed Hall Designs

“I remember what I wore; I bought it special for the night.  One of those long skirts with a slit, I had brown high heels and wore my hair down,” she says.  “We had a jukebox and mum and dad were cooking sausage rolls and party pies in the kitchen and everybody was dancing up on stage.”

The new designs were well received by Narbethong residents, who anticipate the day when these designs become a reality.

“I think it will bring more functions then before.  It’s something exciting, more modern,” says Mrs Tyacke.

Letters from Friends

Narbethong resident Dean Sullivan escaped with little more than his life on February 7. Fleeing his home as it began to catch fire; Dean grabbed his two year old daughter Ashley, his two dogs and loaded them into the car. He only just made it out.

When he returned, nothing was left. The eight years he and partner Clare had spent on their dream home were turned to ash.

“It’s a big effort coming back, a very big effort,” says Dean as he sits on his block looking around at little the progress he has made since February.

Dean has now turned his sights to rebuilding a new home made out of mud bricks that he plans to make himself. But this is at least two years away says Dean.

Despite everything Dean and his family have been through and the long road ahead he says “I couldn’t leave, I don’t want to leave.”

Having lost so much, including his home, friends and next-door neighbour, the battle to remain optimistic is constant.

“I tend to take it a day at a time,” says Dean. “Some days you get up and you’re not having a great one but we’re alive, we got out and that’s the main thing.”

Residents in areas affected by Black Saturday are feeling discouraged. For many, little has changed and normality is a long way off. But in the face of frustration there are always kind words of hope and well wishes.

In Marysville expressions of encouragement have arrived. The main street is now decorated with letters from people as far away as Ingham in Queensland. More than 100 letters of support line the street with photos of those who sent them.

“Wishing you all the very best in this time of healing and re-building your lives,” reads one of the many letters, “better days ahead,” reads another.

These communities are not alone in the rebuilding process; strangers are now friends and are wishing those affected the best for the future.

By the time she got there she was exhausted, “I couldn’t stop listening to the radio and I just couldn’t stop crying,” she said.

The media’s role throughout this tragedy had a massive impact on communities, uniting people from across the globe. The stories that came out of this event informed the world about the worst bushfires to ravage the Victorian countryside and drove people to give to those that had lost so much.

But the journalists who entered these disaster zones to cover the stories weren’t exempt from the emotional stress and tragic circumstances that brought a country together.

When Daniella arrived in Yackandandah near Beechworth, she was met by people panicked and fearing the worst after hearing about the loss of life around the state. She spent the night in her hotel room in the rural town being showered by embers and ash.

“I remember feeling quite panicked, more frightened then I’ve ever been and I’ve covered bushfires several times,” she said.

In the aftermath of Black Saturday, Daniella described a feeling of pride that came out of The Age in how journalists handled the situation and dealt with survivors, forming close bonds with fire ravaged communities that they visited.

Despite her terrifying experiences in the towns affected by the blazes that shook the nation in February, Daniella Miletic has vowed to return to these places and support them in their recovery.

“These towns need help and they need people to visit, so I’m certainly changing a few holiday plans to get back to those areas to try and help them get back on their feet,” she said.

Life for these communities is now an ever evolving set of challenges and anticipation for what will be made of these towns that are now blank canvases. With so many new committees dedicating themselves to the redevelopment, the endless stream of information is overwhelming. The Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA), the Marysville and Triangle Development Group (MATDG), hall committees, town committees, tourism committees, the list goes on, and with it comes the potential to make a full time career out of going to all the meetings.

In the latest MATDG meeting held on Sunday, Dr. Tony Richardson proposed a bioenergy plant for the triangle region. His proposal would mean trees are burnt and the energy that is created is harnessed and turned into electricity.

In Dr. Richardson’s plans for a green energy plant, he outlined potential benefits for the area which included the ability to sell electricity to the power grid, provide energy to local homes and businesses and give rise to new employment opportunities within the area. The whole process, Dr. Richardson said would be carbon neutral and he recognised the potential that “Marysville could become a real eco hub.”

The favoured site for the bioenergy plant is Narbethong, with Dr. Richardson already indicating a local business interest. However, despite its location, if the plant was to go ahead Dr. Richardson said the plant would have ‘Marysville’ in its title because it is so well known. But this sounds like Dr. Richardson is trying to cash in on a name and would fail to give recognition to the actual town that would be home to the plant.

The next step for the bioenergy plant is a consultation with the community of Narbethong.

Key needs for the town were decided through small group discussions with priority being given to: the re-establishment of local saw mills, support for local businesses, public toilets, a town hall, walking paths and nature revitalisation and a revised speed limit through Narbethong.  

The potential for a central business hub was explored to create a town heart and to generate tourism.  And a memorial for the victims of Black Saturday was called for by locals. 

In response to the recent government purchase of the Marysville Museum for public use, locals felt they should receive similar economic stimulus for the re-establishment of saw mills.  Prior to the fires, Narbethong’s two mills provided jobs and income for the area.

Christine Nixon, the head of VBRRA hinted several months ago at stimulus packages to encourage local businesses to re-establish, however this funding is yet to reach the local trade industry.

Some residents were concerned by the lack of funding and recognition of Narbethong and many felt the reconstruction efforts of the town were being overshadowed by other projects.  Other factors that residence identified as stopping the community recovery were: bureaucracy, a lack of leadership, differing opinions and lack of available land for business development. 

Narbethong Hall treasurer, Jenny Woods spoke on behalf of the Narbethong Public Hall Committee and gave an update on the current redevelopment efforts.  She indicated that architectural plans had been drawn up for the new facility, but a final decision on the look of the hall was yet to be decided.

Judy Johnston spoke for the local tourism group with news that a revised copy of the tourism map had been designed and would go into print very soon. And Jo Kash, a Narbethong resident, further indicated that an event will be held to welcome spring to the area on September 4, with details yet to be finalised.