New Know your risks signs launched for community
Published on 16 December 2025
The Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020 left a huge, traumatic mark on the Nambucca Valley. The fires were unprecedented in their extent and it destroyed 63 homes, damaged a further 19 homes, destroyed 135 outbuildings, and hit about 350 landholders very hard financially.
Nambucca Valley Community Resilience Network (CRN) member and past co-chairperson, Julie Gooch, said many people and properties in the valley are still recovering from that disaster, six years on.
“Myself and many others living in the South Arm, Buckrabendinni, Talarm, Bowraville, Taylors Arm, and Utungun areas still remember the Black Summer Bushfires like it happened yesterday,” she said.
“Who can forget it, it was like Armageddon. While we can’t erase the trauma and impacts from that bushfire disaster, myself and many other community members were encouraged to form a resilience network, with the then Nambucca Valley Council Community Recovery Officer, so we could improve our preparedness.
“Our CRN is still going strong and this year we were successful in gaining a Rebuilding Futures grant from the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal and Suncorp for about $19,500 to install 11 new ‘know your risk’ signs.
“Today we have unveiled the first of our signs at Scotts Head and it feels good to have put into action a recommendation which came out of the Black Summer Bushfires: to better share information and maps so that our community can be better prepared for future disasters.”
Nambucca Valley Mayor Gary Lee thanked the Nambucca Valley CRN for providing a practical avenue to help residents to prepare.
“The signs sharing bushfire and flood information and maps have now been installed at eight locations across our valley including here at Scotts Head, Newee Creek, Eungai, South Arm, Utungun, Taylors Arm, Warrell creek and Valla,” he said.
“While these signs are great, I think it’s important to also mention the other meaningful ways our valley’s CRN group has supported us and that’s through bringing people together and sharing information, as well as listening.
“Our valley’s CRN also importantly supports the Nambucca Valley Local Emergency Management Committee, which is stood up to help protect our community during a disaster.
“For fulfilling all of these actions, I am extremely grateful to the volunteers and service providers within our CRN and I have enjoyed sharing a morning tea here today to thank them.”
As we lead into summer, Nambucca Valley Council would like to remind residents of the importance of having a bushfire and flood evacuation plan and to know what they would do in the event of a disaster.
Stay up-to-date on emergency information by downloading the NSW Government Hazards Near Me app and keeping an eye on the Live Traffic NSW website. You can also stay tuned by listening to our local radio stations Radio Nambucca – 2NVR on 105.9FM or ABC Mid North Coast on 684AM or 92.3FM.