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Stories of Bushfire Recovery – Aboriginal Culture and Healing

Read the stories of seven Aboriginal organisations to learn more about their recovery journey after the 2019-20 bushfires

Date:
19 Aug 2021

Acknowledgement of Country

BRV proudly acknowledges the First Peoples of Victoria and their ongoing strength in practising the world’s oldest living culture. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters on which we live and work and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Introduction by Carmel Flynn

Stories of Bushfire Recovery - Aboriginal Culture and Healing focuses on Aboriginal peoples’ recovery following the 2019-20 Eastern Victorian bushfires. Events like bushfires have a significant impact on Aboriginal Victorians. Pre-existing inequality and historical intergenerational trauma are further complicated by the impact that bushfires can have on Country and cultural heritage.

Relationships with the land remain fundamental to the identity and way of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Exercising self-determination is crucial for Aboriginal people, families, communities, businesses, and Traditional Owner groups throughout their recovery journey. Our role is to support Aboriginal communities in recovery and to guide Bushfire Recovery Victoria (BRV) to embed Aboriginal self-determination in its process and outcomes.

Aboriginal Culture and Healing is one of our five pillars of recovery. BRV’s introduction of this recovery pillar is the first time in Australia that a dedicated line of recovery-focused on Aboriginal community affected by a major disaster has been established.

It stands alongside traditional recovery pillars of health, economy, natural environment, and infrastructure, and supports projects led by Aboriginal community organisations and Traditional Owner groups.

This pillar structure has helped assist Aboriginal community participation in recovery planning, design, delivery, and evaluation; and establishing a stronger Aboriginal voice in government decision making. One of the ways that this has been achieved is through Traditional Owner-led projects that support the recovery of cultural heritage.

Each of the projects profiled in this booklet received funding under the Bushfire Recovery Grants for Aboriginal Communities. These projects highlight the importance to acknowledge, respect and promote Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities’ collective knowledge, and their connection to their Country.

Carmel Flynn

Acting Chief Executive Officer

Bushfire Recovery Victoria

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