The Southern Downs and Granite Belt has done it tough in recent years with floods, bushfires and storms but a joint government initiative is hoping to ensure no-one feels alone.
The Cuppa and Chat program is run by the Southern Downs Regional Council and jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governmetns under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
The program is an informal opportunity for anyone still doing it tough or not back on their feet yet to come and chat with a range of non-for-profit service agencies to find out what support is still available. Disaster Recovery Officer James Wong said Council and its interagency partners were committed to following through on the community’s recovery journey and he encouraged anyone affected by the region’s disaster events to attend one of the sessions.
“Recovery is a journey and Council understands that people are still rebuilding their lives 12 months on from the 2022 flood events in particular,” Mr Wong said.
“Council and its partners are committed to supporting locals and helping restore people’s emotional, social and physical wellbeing.”
Southern Downs Regional Council is continuing to support the region’s recovering communities following the 2022 year’s floods, as well as recent bushfire and storm events through a new series of localised outreach sessions.
Mr Wong said Cuppa and a Chat was an important disaster recovery initiative designed to help communities affected by recent events to continue on their road to recovery.
Council’s community recovery team and its interagency partners will be on hand with a range of practical, psychosocial and referral support services to assist the community.
The first Cuppa and a Chat session was hosted in Leyburn on Wednesday 5 April and future sessions are planned for Pratten, Killarney, Warwick and Applethorpe, with the opportunity for more to be scheduled in other locations.
For more information email recovery@sdrc.qld.gov.au.
This initiative is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
