After suffering four years of drought, Wairewa in Victoria’s south-east, was badly impacted by the catastrophic fire event on 31 December 2019. The firestorm that blasted through the community resulted in many losses. 11 homes, hundreds of livestock, and millions of dollars of farm infrastructure and equipment were destroyed. That night while the fire burned just metres away, 30 people sheltered in the Wairewa Hall. With the mains power failing and affecting the activation of the water pump, the CFA teams set off their hoses. This prevented a potential tragedy and saved their lives and the hall. Immediately, post-bushfire, the hall became a community relief centre. The hall was utilised by the community as donors and agencies arrived to assist.

Thanks to the generous donors of the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, Wairewa Hall/CRC received a $151,645 grant from donations to CEF.

The project includes:

• A fully installed bushfire attack sprinkler system to protect the hall and evacuees in the future;
• covered BBQ area with wheelchair access; and
• A toilet upgrade to allow for disability access with showers in case of emergency evacuations/burns injuries.
• Upgrades to the hall will provide greater community confidence and resilience knowing that, in event of another disaster, the hall is a safer place in an emergency.

The Wairewa Railway Bridge also known as O’Grady’s Bridge, east of Nowa Nowa was damaged significantly by the summer bushfires earlier this year.

Wairewa Community Recovery Committee (CRC) along with Sarsfield CRC and Bushfire Recovery Victoria, and DELWP’s recovery team have had continuous discussions about making the bridge stable and safe.

This helped to ensure the bridge could remain a well-loved landmark of the beautiful Wairewa Valley.