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Local young photographers from bushfire recovery project attended Resilient Australia Awards 2023 and conclude the Sarsfield Snaps project

Local young photographers in a bushfire recovery project joined a national resilience award ceremony in Perth. The awards honour initiatives enhancing community resilience against natural hazards.

By news@gippsland - 24th November 2023 - Back to News

Young photographers from a local bushfire recovery project attended a national resilience award ceremony in Perth last week. A number of young photographers represented the project at the ceremony, alongside other representatives from projects across Australia. The Resilient Australia Awards recognise and promote initiatives that build resilience and inspire others to take action - making communities safer, more connected and better prepared for natural hazards and emergencies.

From left to right, Kate Perry, Meg Perry, Jack Furmeister, Faith Perry arrive at the Resilient Australia Awards 2023

Resilience awards victory

Run annually by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience, the awards are open to all individuals, organisations, and businesses. Sarsfield Snaps recently won the Victorian Resilient Australia Awards, in the community category, positioning the project as a contender for the national award.

Sarsfield Snaps is a community project led by local volunteers, supporting children and young people from across Sarsfield, Clifton Creek and surrounds, to take photos of those things that are important to them following the 2019/2020 Black Summer fires.

Local fundraising efforts alongside support from the East Gippsland Shire Council, Emergency Recovery Victoria, East Gippsland Community Foundation and local business Think Connect, enabled the group of photographers to attend the national award ceremony in Perth. The awards were presented by Dr Margaret Moreton, Executive Director, Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.

Community experience and unity

While Sarsfield Snaps was not one of the final winners of the award, photographers reflected that the experience was a really important moment with attendance at the awards considered an achievement in itself. Kate Perry, Snaps photographer and attendee said, "This program has not only strengthened our photography skills, but it has brought us together as a community. We never in our wildest dreams thought that our program would get this level of recognition".

Sarsfield Snaps has officially come to an end, but there remain opportunities for young people to get involved in activities across the Sarsfield community. The 2024 Sarsfield calendar will again showcase images from Snaps photographers, with copies available for purchase through local businesses. Funds raised will be to provide future activities to support local children and young people in local bushfire recovery efforts.

Pictures from Sarsfield Community Association website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com