Black Saturday Bendigo memories remain with BCHS staff who helped with recovery effort - 10 years on from Victorian bushfires
- Wednesday 6 February 2019
- Written by Rod
Bendigo Community Health Services played a key role in the Bendigo recovery effort after the devastating Black Saturday bushfire of February 7, 2009. A dedicated team of our staff supported and cared for those most affected by the trauma of the fire as part of the State Government’s Victorian Bushfire Case Management Service established within hours of the event. As Victoria marks the 10th anniversary of Black Saturday, the staff who remain with Bendigo Community Health Services today reflect back on the time and the memories that have stuck with them through the past decade …
Kaye Graves walked into the Bendigo bushfire recovery centre on February 8 and ‘left two years later’.
Such was the enormity of the Black Saturday bushfire and the impact on Bendigo.
Kaye’s work in the recovery centre in the immediate aftermath of the fire flowed into establishing a Bendigo Community Health Service case management team to work with those most affected.
The utter shock and devastation for those that lost everything is what Kaye remembers most.
“Precious belongings lost forever and, of course, pets. Survivor’s guilt for some that they survived and others perished. Grief was palpable,” Kaye said.
“The demand was huge and initially there were few systems and resources. Initially, we helped by assisting with identity and bank cards, teeth, hearing aids, glasses, underwear.”
Kaye case managed one client.
“I cared for the woman who lost her husband and her cats … we keep in touch occasionally,” she said.
Kaye remembers the community spirit.
“I made an arrangement with dentists to do some pro bono work and got Specsavers to replace glasses using a voucher system. Blue Illusion donated masses of new clothes and we stored them at Beck Legal. My dear mother sent over two car loads of toiletries which stayed on my billiard table with family bagging them up … all hands-on deck!” she said.
Kaye remains proud of the Bendigo Community Health Services work at the time.
“The Bendigo Community Health Services response was awesome, as were our staff,” she says.
“It was a privilege to undertake this work, walk beside the devastated, influence the model of care. BCHS also developed an innovative health assessment, health coaching model funded by the Bendigo Bank which was unique and highly-regarded as stress levels remained high which has a negative physiological effect as we know. Many would access this program instead of counselling. It acted as a vehicle for engagement, too.”
Walking the streets most impacted by the bushfire to knock on doors and find people needing support who had not registered is the most vivid memory for Bronwyn Moore.
