Charleston Emergency Relief & Recovery Group (CERRG)
A sub-committee of the Charleston Community Centre, Inc.
2019 Cudlee Creek Bushfire
In Dec 2019 the Cudlee Creek bushfire significantly impacted the Charleston community, taking a local life and destroying or heavily impacting many local properties. This fire highlighted a lack of emergency preparedness amongst many in the community, but also brought to light a range of wider, more systemic issues such as lack of ability to effectively communicate when the mobile phone towers lost power, and the electricity supply was cut to the town, as well as mains water pressure being significantly impacted.
Red Cross CLER Workshops
In response to these highlighted issues, the Charleston Community Centre (the local community association) hosted discussions with community members which saw the formation of the Charleston Emergency Relief and Recovery group (CERRG). This group subsequently completed a Red Cross “Community Led Emergency Resilience Workshops” (CLER) program which helped identify at-risk and vulnerable groups in the community, as well as to stratify likely emergency events, and how they might be mitigated or responded to.
Grant Success
In 2021 and 2022 the CERG was successful in being awarded $50,000 in Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal (FRRR) grants to purchase and install air conditioning at the Charleston Hall, and subsequently a 52 KVA generator. The Lobethal Bushfire Recovery Fund (LBRF) also contributed $10,000 towards the cost of these two projects.
The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded the Charleston Hall $7,000 towards a Memorial garden and flagpole at the Hall. After an emergency the CERRG will run a red flag up this pole to signify that the CERG is open to provide community assistance.
In 2022 the CERG was also successful in being awarded a grant for $99,542 from the Preparing Australian Communities (PAC) grant scheme to implement the following additional infrastructure to the Hall:
· High-speed Satellite Broadband and wi-fi
· Audiovisual system and automated drop-down projection screen
· Fire Protection System - Halo style, including 2 x 30,000 litre rainwater tanks
Local Support
Local CFS brigade captains from Woodside, Lobethal and Mt Torrens, as well as local MP Dan Cregan and federal MP Rebekkah Sharkie helped our grant applications by providing letters of support for these grants.
As part of preparing the site for the installation of the rainwater tanks, the fire prevention system pump and the generator, approximately 40 locals including Lobethal CFS volunteers reaccrediting in annual chainsaw skills attended a working bee at the Hall to clear non-significant and scrubby vegetation with chainsaws, chippers and muscle power. In addition to clearing and preparing the site for the emergency response infrastructure, the adjacent area was also cleared at the same time in order to make way for a community garden to be established to help bring the community together.
The next emergency and pre-planning
The CERRG is working hard in planning for the next major emergency that may impact the local community, and to mitigate that risk as much as possible. They have had presentations from Adam Weinert from Lobethal who helped lead the Lobethal Bushfire Recovery efforts after the Cudlee Creek Bushfire to give his insights into the model they used; how it worked and what they would do differently if it ever is required again, and Miranda Hampton from the Adelaide Hills Council on the Community Support Hub concept which is largely aligned to the concept we are pursuing.
The CERRG has also benefited from being part of the Adelaide Hills Community Bushfire Action Network that is coordinated by the Adelaide Hills Council, and has seen a number of bushfire-affected communities join forces to collaborate and learn from each other on strategies to mitigate and respond to future fire risk.
The CERRG is currently refining its scope, and is actively recruiting local people to help establish a range of identified roles and capabilities to support our community, and maybe further afield in response to a defined emergency incidents.
In the second half of 2023 the CERRG plans to test their post emergency response capacity in the community in order to put its preparation and systems “under load” to see where gaps exist, and implement strategies to remedy them. We're sure there will be many, but it's about learning from what we do.
Future Grant Funding
The CERRG is also actively seeking other appropriate grants or donations to install:
· An electronic signboard to communicate emergency warnings and initiatives with the community
· Upgrade the Charleston Hall kitchen to cater for our volunteers during a response, as well other identified need
· Purchase equipment to facilitate emergency management from the Hall
· Installation of new toilets and a shower to be attached to the Hall
· Cool room attached to the kitchen for storage of perishables, and possibly help keep people's medicines cool where necessary
· A rotunda for the community garden, which in an emergency can be used for outside activities and coordination
· Plants for the community garden so this can be a space for people to rest and recuperate more peacefully
· A large, portable barbecue for catering as necessary
The Charleston Hall will also be made available to emergency services in the event of requiring it for emergency planning or staging, and will also continue to host community education evenings around emergency preparedness and other community initiatives.
Local Support
The Charleston Community Centre would like to acknowledge and thank the following local businesses who have been very generous in their unwavering support of the Charleston Community Centre and our CERRG in particular:
GE Hughes Construction - Duane Hughes and his team
Adelaide Hills Electrical - Ben Thompson
H2Flo Irrigation & Landscaping - Jeff Langbein
Cribb Bushfire Protection & Engineering - Uraidla
Charleston Emergency Relief and Recovery Group
A sub committee of the Charleston Community Centre Inc.
For all enquiries, email:
