After horror bushfires, Mallacoota locals reclaim the beach where thousands fled on New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Eve, thousands fled to the water to escape a raging bushfire bearing down on Mallacoota. This week, many returned.
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Beneath an eerie blood red sky swirling with choking smoke, some 4000 people huddled on the sands of Mallacoota Beach on New Year’s Eve after fleeing from a raging bushfire.
Trapped and terrified while the inferno tore through the East Gippsland town, destroying 123 homes, many remained there overnight, with 1200 people needing to be rescued by the navy.
What’s normally a picturesque part of the Victorian coastline suddenly resembled hell on earth.
The trauma of that horrific event is only just beginning to be realised, as Mallacoota undertakes the daunting task of rebuilding and recovering.
Part of that recovery saw a number of locals return to the beach this week, its sand still stained with ash and debris, to reclaim it.
“After speaking with the community, it became very apparent that over the coming weeks and months we would have a huge mental health challenge on our hands,” Vanessa Janns said.
Ms Janns, president of the Mallacoota Boardriders Club, reached out to a Sydney organisation that merges mental health and surfing, asking if they could help.
Waves of Wellness gladly leapt into action.
A team of six qualified mental health professionals, who double as surfing instructors, worked with two clinical experts in trauma and disaster relief, a psychologist and a psychotherapist to design an intensive five-day surf program for locals.
“Isolated communities such as Mallacoota are not just in need of funding to rebuild their homes and lives, they are in need of approachable mental health support,” Waves of Wellness founder Joel Pilgrim said.
“Many, particularly children, had no idea if they were going to survive the night, let alone comprehend the journey of rebuilding their lives.
“The experience of grief, shock, and stress, take an incredibly high emotional toll on families in such times of crisis.”
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The initiative – supported by men’s health charity Movember, a long-time supporter of Waves of Wellness – was about more than hitting the water.
It was specially designed to help ease the impact of trauma and post-traumatic stress by merging learn-to-surf education and mental health resilience and education.
“For some, simply connecting, sharing stories and uniting during this time can make all the difference,” Mr Pilgrim said.
“This program supports the Mallacoota community to reclaim their beach, reframing its recent correlation with trauma, to a place of positivity and respite.”
One of the participants, a teenager named Zac, lost his family home in the bushfires.
Ms Janns said he initially hung out on the edge of the group, before grabbing a donated board and getting stuck in.
“He hadn’t surfed in years, but has become reconnected with our tight-knit surf community and has been out surfing every time there’s waves over the past few weeks,” she said.
During their visit, the Waves of Wellness team also trained up local volunteers so that the positive benefits can continue.
RELATED: Going for a surf could save men’s lives
On top of that, with volunteers from Movember, they ran individual counselling, surf therapy programs, beach games, school visits and BBQs at local community groups.
With the support of Bronte Boardriders Club, Waves of Wellness also delivered 70 refurbished boards to surfers and children in the town that had lost surfing equipment during the fires.
To find out more about Waves of Wellness and to support their work, visit their website.
Originally published as After horror bushfires, Mallacoota locals reclaim the beach where thousands fled on New Year’s Eve