DRT staff Julie Ward (Disaster Recovery Clinician HNELHD), Andrew Daley (RAMHP Coordinator HNELHD), Sarah Mason (Farmgate Counsellor MNCLHD), Julian Rote (Drought & Disaster Psychology Service HNELHD), and Adam Ulrick (Manager Disaster Recovery Team MNCLHD).

Disaster Recovery Team continues to support community

Mar 26, 2024

Staff from the Mid North Coast Local Health District Disaster Recovery Team recently attended a Field Day near Lower Creek at Blackbird Flat in the Upper Macleay Valley.

The field day was a joint initiative between Armidale Regional Council, Kempsey Shire Council and New England Weeds Authority.

The Kempsey-Armidale Road is an important corridor, which links Armidale and the coast. The road also supports the local community and agriculture and tourism industries in both the Armidale and Kempsey regions.

The road was severely damaged by bushfires at the end of 2019 and subsequent flooding in 2020 and 2022 and is currently closed. Works are scheduled to commence later this year and may take up to four years to complete.

Locals were entertained by a presentation from special guest Mr Warren Davies, ‘The Unbreakable Farmer’ who discussed his story of Resilience, Persistence and Determination while facing the harsh reality of being a farmer dealing with high interest rates, low commodity prices, floods and drought.

There was also a fantastic working dog display by Backtrack Youth Works from Armidale and ShoreTrack from Macksville, information stalls regarding weed management with a focus on Tropical Soda Apple management and catering supplied by the Rapid Relief Team from Armidale.

Staff from both Hunter New England and Mid North Coast LHD Disaster Recovery teams also had the opportunity to mingle with locals and service providers to share information and updates throughout the day.