SWBVAL members, from left, Garry Rogers, Len Renouf, Rob Fries, Cody Rogers and Cecilia Wilkes are calling for a re-think on the distribution of bushfire funds.
By Kath Gannaway
RESIDENTS of Skyline and Wallace roads who lost their homes on Black Saturday say they have been sidelined in what they claim is an opportunistic grab for bushfire funds.
Members of SWBVAL (Skyline and Wallace Roads Bushfire Victims Alliance) want $300,000 allocated from the Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund (VBAF)to rebuild the Christmas Hills Hall redirected to fixing up the fire-damaged road.
SWBVAL members Garry Rogers, Len Renouf, Rob Fries and Cecilia Wilkes say they are representative of the 40 SWBVAL members who believe that money donated to help bushfire victims who lost their homes should not be used to fund community infrastructure.
The issue is clouded by the fact that Skyline Road is the dividing line for the shires of Yarra Ranges and Nillumbik. Of the 19 houses destroyed, 14 are in Yarra Ranges, five in Christmas Hills.
Mr Fries told the Mail the divided shire responsibility for the road had been an ongoing issue for residents, but said it was now vital that the road be made safe for residents.
They say Skyline and Wallace, both unsealed roads are now unstable and their narrow and winding profiles make them especially dangerous in the event of a future bushfire.
The group has the Christmas Hills Hall Committee of Management in the firing line saying the group failed to include them in meetings and discussions which led to the $300,000 gift.
Ms Wilkes said residents who lost their homes were not ready to be negotiating with government for funds.
“What has happened now is this unentitled group of people, a handful of people who were not directly affected by the fire, have procured the money, while we have been struggling to get back on our feet,” said Mr Rogers.
“Individually, our lives are complex, but there has been total upheaval since the fires – most of our members are not even back in the street yet,” Mr Fries said.
“When it can cost $1000 for a 500 metre or surveying and the additional costs for some people rebuilding under the new fire regulations is adding up to $85,000 to the cost of a house, it is wrong that this money is being spent on a hall most people will never use,” he said.
Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA) has defended the funding saying it was provided through VBAF after the restoration of the local hall had been identified as a key initiative to the broader community’s recovery.
VBRRA spokeswoman Melissa Arch said Christmas Hills individuals and families directly affected by the fires had received almost $1.9 million in direct assistance.
“The well-being of the overall community is also seem as an important part of the ongoing recovery of communities impacted by the fires which is why the Appeal Fund Independent Advisory Panel set aside up to 25 per cent of the fund for community projects,” she said.
Hall committee president Veronica Holland also defended her group’s actions saying the hall refurbishment was identified at a number of community meetings as a project which would have ongoing community benefits. She rejected claims that the hall committee had manipulated the process and deliberately sidelined the Skyline and Wallace roads residents.
“A lot of people directly affected by the fire moved out of the area and we had no way of getting in touch with people to ask how we could help,” she said.
Ms Holland said the proposal to support the rebuilding of the hall was put to a meeting of more than 80 residents, with 90 per cent voting in favour.
