FRRR has awarded a $25,000 grant to enhance Rochester’s disaster preparedness and support the ongoing recovery of the Victorian community, which was devastated by flooding in 2022. 

The grant will be used to support the recovery efforts of Rochester Senior Citizens Club Inc’s Op shop, which has sustained irreparable damage after several severe flood events, most recently in 2022. Based on current flood modelling, it is also highly likely it will be impacted by floods into the future. 

The Senior Citizens Club Inc was founded in 1966 and supports older members of the community through activities, social connectedness and programs to ensure their health and well-being. With no paid staff, the 15 volunteers run the highly successful and active Op shop. 

Funded through FRRR’s Disaster Resilience and Recovery Fund, this grant will enable the Senior Citizens Club to incorporate mitigation and hazard assessment principles in the planning and design phase of the Op shop rebuild. 

Nina O’Brien, Disaster Resilience and Recovery Lead, said FRRR hopes that Rochester Senior Citizens Club Inc’s project will be a valuable example to showcase how other similar community groups can approach recovery and preparedness activities. 

“The Senior Citizens Club’s Op shop is much more than just a local second-hand shop.” 

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“It acts as a social hub and, importantly, generates approximately $50,000 annually that is distributed for the benefit of the entire town.” 

O’Brien added that by planning for future flooding events, the community will to be more prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of disasters, weather events or climate impacts. 

“This project is a great example of how disaster-affected communities can plan and design and ‘build back better’ infrastructure to mitigate known and increasing disaster risks,” O’Brien explained. 

The group is also partnering with The Resilient Building Council to develop new skills that will enable them to understand and assess flood risk for the new building.  

Members of the broader Rochester community will also be able to build their knowledge and understanding of these mitigation practices, be upskilled to assess multi-hazards using the rating tool, and, in the long term, develop the confidence to lead and contribute to the prosperity and renewal of their community. 

FRRR is grateful to the donors to our Disaster Resilience and Recovery Fund, which is invested in perpetuity.  

Each year, a portion of earnings is directed toward projects that prevent disaster impacts, prepare communities to better withstand them and/or enhance community resilience and not-for-profit groups’ capabilities. 

Menchie Khairuddin

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Menchie Khairuddin is a writer Deputy Content Manager at Akolade and content producer for Third Sector News. She is passionate about social affairs specifically in mixed, multicultural heritage and not-for-profit organisations.

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