The Recovery, Resilience & Preparedness (RR&P) Group was established in late 2021 as a merger of three pre-existing interagencies and cross-sectoral collaborations/collective impact initiatives: the Health & Wellbeing sub-committee (Wellbeing) for the Black Summer Recovery; the Mental Health & Wellbeing Interagency; and the Preparedness & Resilience Group formed in the wake of the 2013 fires.
The Group consisted of a range of local, place-based community sector organisations, “new” organisations to our area undertaking long-term Recovery activities in the Mountains (especially in mental health/suicide prevention, and financial counselling), representatives of government agencies (eg local Council Resilience and Recovery workers, Health, Education, Local Emergency Management Committee) and local emergency services personnel (eg RFS, SES, F&RNSW).
Trusting relationships and partnerships have been built through tough times together. RR&P members shared values (such as the critical importance of community connections; in emergency preparedness, “prevention is better than cure”; and the value of grass-roots, hyper-local action). We also shared messages and programs for community-led resilience-building, recovery and preparedness – we know all of these activities occur continuously and often concurrently in an endless cycle.
Sadly, as MCRN has been de-funded by the NSW government after 40+ years as the peak body in the Mountains and will have to close its doors at the end of 2026, it will no longer be able to convene any interagencies. Nor will MCRN be able to coordinate annual calendars of preparedness events, or the formal Recovery's Wellbeing group.
The Recovery, Resilience & Preparedness Group aimed to strengthen active partnerships between emergency services and the community sector at an organisational and ‘officer-to-officer’ level, and thus provide a united platform for the delivery of a broad range of recovery, resilience and preparedness programs within our community.
Specific goals were to:
RR&P coordinated an ongoing program around household preparedness to support local residents to practically and psychologically prepare for emergencies. Programs included an annual Get Ready! BM calendar of events over spring and early summer, with a focus on psychological as well as practial preparedness, and building communtiy connections (eg, Heads Up For Fire (HUFF), Meet Your Street, seminars with local experts, and Preparedness Clinics). See details about past Household Preparedness Activities...
MCRN also auspices Resilient Blue Mountains, a community-led network of groups working together for a resilient future in the face of climate change: https://www.resilientbluemountains.org.
- How often: - The Recovery, Resilience & Preparedness Group met regularly from 12 to 2pm on a Wednesday.
- Where: - F2F, or over Zoom.