Media releases

A new website will help Gippsland communities recovering from bushfire share their stories of survival and their reflections on fire preparation.

Launched today, the Community Bushfire Connection website features resources for recovery and bushfire management, information about fire ecology and the history of bushfire in Gippsland.

There are also resources to support early childhood, primary and secondary educators to discuss fire-related topics with their students.

The website is a partnership between Federation University, CFA and Department of Environment Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

Federation University Bachelor of Environment and Conservation Science student Madeline Le Brocq worked with the key agencies to develop the website as part of the University’s Industry Placement Program (IPP), where students gain valuable industry insight over a six-month period.

Ms Le Brocq was placed with DELWP with support from the University’s IPP team and academic supervisor, Associate Professor Conservation Biology, Wendy Wright.

The Community Bushfire Connection website can be viewed at communitybushfireconnection.com.au.

Federation University’s Industry Placement Program offers students studying business, arts, IT, science and engineering the opportunity to work on projects for host organisations full time for six months.

For more information about the IPP, visit here.

Quotes attributable to DELWP Bushfire Recovery Manager (Gippsland), Peter West

“Our hope for this initiative is to transform oral accounts of past bushfire seasons within the region into documented history.”

“This platform provides an excellent avenue for the community to access information on local fire events throughout history, access resources and become part of the larger story of ongoing recovery across the Gippsland region.”

Quotes attributable to Federation University Gippsland Head of Campus, Ms Leigh Kennedy

“This project is a terrific example of how the Industry Placement Program brings students into the local workforce where they can get real-world experience in their field of study and have a meaningful impact on their community.”

Quotes attributable to Federation University Bachelor of Environment and Conservation Science student, Madeline Le Brocq

“I hope this website provides a space for people in bushfire-affected communities to tell their story and to listen to the stories of others and feel like they’re not alone.”

“This placement gave me so much insight into how my degree is going to be used and I was learning things that I could then include in my assignments.”

Quotes attributable to CFA Community-based Bushfire Management Facilitator, Gail Cumming

“This website is a product of a great partnership between our organisations. It is well set up to allow the telling of the extraordinary stories of community recovery, across the region, by community members.”  

“Agency staff have as much to learn from these stories as communities do.”