Tathra bushfires remembered three years on; climate group still awaiting political action

Bega Valley Shire Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick said while the shock and devastation of March 18-19, 2018, will never be forgotten, the lessons "undoubtedly" shaped the council and community's response to the Black Summer fires of 2019/20.

"It was a truly frightening time of loss for the Tathra community and in the days, weeks and months that followed, our community across the shire came together in solidarity to support the recovery and healing, which is ongoing.

"Working with residents who were impacted, we saw the strength and resilience of the Tathra community and the inherent resilience of the Bega Valley Shire as a whole.

"There is no doubt those learnings and the strength we witnessed allowed us to rally quickly in our response to the Black Summer fire emergency and recovery."

Cr Fitzpatrick said the Tathra Strong event held earlier this month was a "true celebration of the power of community".

"Tathra is a thriving community, full of strength and hope and it's the strong community connection and support that has really helped people through challenging times," he said.

"The recovery is ongoing and very personal, and the Tathra Strong event was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to pause and come together to celebrate resilience and mateship."

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Three years after the fire that led to the formation of Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action, the group is still waiting on the federal government to take "meaningful action on climate change and set a firm target for reducing emissions".

The Reedy Swamp fire started on March 18, 2018, and destroyed a total of 65 homes and 30 caravans in Tathra and surrounds.

Jan Harris, a founding member of BSCA who lost her home in the blaze, said rebuilding has been a long process.

"We were told that rebuilding our home could take between three and five years, but had no idea how hard it would be. Bushfires don't end once the flames go out, even with good insurance it takes years to get back on your feet," Ms Harris said.

Ms Harris and her family are still renting, and have only recently signed a contract for the construction of their new home.

"Even after our home is rebuilt, we're very concerned about what the future might hold," she said.

"The 2019/2020 Bushfire Royal Commission is very clear that Australians should expect fiercer and more frequent fires. Unless the federal government takes decisive action against climate change, even more families are going to have to live through what we have."

Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action was founded in the months following the Tathra fire and said, despite the many fires that have followed, members are still waiting for meaningful political action.

"So many more Australians have now been affected by fire, and yet we're all still waiting for climate action," Jo Dodds, BSCA president said.

"From the 2003 Canberra fires, to Black Saturday, the 2019/2020 fires and now Western Australia last summer, what do we have to lose other than lives, homes and livelihoods to get an adequate response?"

BSCA is calling on the federal government to accept and implement all recommendations made by the 2019/20 Bushfire Royal Commission, implement policies that make polluters pay for the damage they cause and set a target of net zero emissions before 2040.