A community’s long road to recovery following a disaster and the supporting role played by the arts as part of the journey will be explored during the Scenic Rim’s March Arts Dinner Live and Online.
Hosted by Scenic Rim Regional Council in partnership with the South West Queensland Regional Arts Service Network, this free evening event on Tuesday March 9 will bring together creatives and members of the Beechmont community who were impacted by the September 2019 Sarabah bushfires, which destroyed 11 houses and the historic Binna Burra Lodge.
The discussion panel includes Lisa Groom, the grand-daughter of Binna Burra Lodge founder Arthur Groom and who now heads the eco-tourism company, ParkTours, established by her parents Tony and Connie Groom.
“Eighteen months on from the bushfires, this is a good time for the community to take stock,” Lisa said.
“This has been a long journey and acknowledging that is important.
“The bushfires at Beechmont were at the start of the long black summer that didn’t seem to end and people are still reeling.”
In what has become known as Black Summer, Australia’s costliest natural disaster to date, some 34 lives were lost directly as a result of the fires nationwide and a further 450 people died from the effects of smoke. An estimated 18.6 million hectares across Australia burned, including 20 per cent of Australia’s forests and rainforest previously thought to be immune to bushfire.
In addition to the human loss of life, an estimated three billion animals died in the fires, with some species pushed to the brink of extinction, and some 10.6 million Australians, including many in the Scenic Rim, feared for their safety.
The March Arts Dinner Live and Online looks at the stages of recovery after a disaster and how engagement in the arts can help in the healing process.
Jessica Brown, the driving force behind the Wildfire Creative Recovery Project at Beechmont, will also be part of the panel discussion at the Arts Dinner Live and Online.
A poet, performer, director, arts worker and teacher, she was acknowledged at the South West Cultural Champions Awards in December 2020 for initiating the Regeneration Program that has enabled residents impacted by the bushfires to work creatively towards recovery and achieve positive community outcomes.
Joining Lisa and Jessica on the arts dinner discussion panel are Benjamin Allmon, and Scotia Monkivitch.
Benjamin Allmon is an author, freelance journalist, musician, audio engineer and film producer who has walked 700 kilometres around the Scenic Rim capturing stories of resilience, connection and residents’ deep relationship to the place they call home.
Scotia Monkivitch is the Manager of Creative Recovery Network, the national agency advocating for, and supporting, the role of culture and the arts in disaster management, preparedness, response and recovery.
The March Arts Dinner Live and Online will be held at Providence Farm Hall at Beechmont from 6pm on Tuesday 9 March and livestreamed from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.
Although tickets to the live event are now fully booked, the community is invited to register for the livestreamed discussion by visiting www.liveatthecentre.com.au
