The Chainsaw Project

Emma Orgill – East Gippsland Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator:

The women in our group determined that there was a need to do a chainsaw course.

That there where women who feared for their life during the fire, when they were exiting with their kids.

How are they gonna get out if there was a tree over the road?

When it came to fire preparation, they were probably the ones that needed to be cutting down the trees and they just didn’t have the skillset.

These women now are empowered.

The exchange of information and friendships, that these women form, they just had the best time.

And that knowledge and empowerment alleviate some of that depression.

You know, the 70-year old’s eager to go down and help her 80-year-old neighbour.

The women with the kids knows that she can get a tree out of the road. She doesn’t have to depend on her husband, because I’m empowered, I’m confident. I know what I’m doing.

Katie Symes – Coota Gatherers, Mallacoota:

It’s really important to have a raft of, I guess wellbeing support that people can connect with in different ways like a social and emotional wellbeing, as well as clinical services are really important.

Louis Radevski – GLCH Bushfire Recovery Worker:

Not only is that a very strong predictor of improved wellbeing, but I find that it also helps to remind people that they’re all in it together.

Emma Orgill – East Gippsland Regional Agriculture Landcare Facilitator:

Which is what the women in our group is all about. Just connecting those women to each other and finding out that they have so much in common. They talk to each other all the time now and it was really something they needed to get together, get out of their heads, learn a skill.

And I think there’s no better way to get out of your head thank getting on the chainsaw. I mean how empowering is that.

Community Enterprise Foundation^TM Bendigo Bank.