Armidale Preparing All Communities Together (PACT) Network met for the second time and confirmed the value of having an established disaster preparedness and recovery network.

The event was held at New England Fire Control Centre during National Volunteers Week, and gathered people, including many volunteers, from across the region.

In her role as Armidale Regional Council’s Community Recovery Officer, Jane Schmude has been working closely with individuals, groups, and organisations to build a framework that ensures communities have easy access to information, resources and support – to prepare for, manage, and recover from disasters.

The PACT Network has been formed to provide an opportunity for communities to receive and provide community specific information on disaster preparedness and recovery.

It will also maintain an ongoing conversation with Local Emergency Management Committees.

After a generous welcome by Elder Rose Lovelock, who also framed the day’s conversation in the context of caring for Country, guest speakers Paul Metcalfe (NSW Rural Fire Service), Darren Williams (NSW Police), Struan Ferguson (Southern New England Landcare), and Lauren Aiken (Resilience NSW) each introduced their agency’s role in disaster response or resilience and shared key messages.

There was valuable time for discussion with a panel including Rural Fire Service, Police, Landcare and NSW RA Regional Delivery team, then conversation and a tour of the facility before lunch, provided by the Rural Fire Service's voluntary New England Catering team.

 Armidale Regional Council’s Community Recovery Officer position is proudly funded by NSW Reconstruction Authority.

This article was shared courtesy of the Armidale Regional Council.