Meeting tunes in for news

By Monique Ebrington
YARRA Recreation Centre’s sport stadium was filled with 600 people, anxious for answers, at the “community fire update meeting” at 11.30am on Sunday.
Their most pressing concern was for the safety of their friends in northern towns and the safety of their areas including Warburton, Yarra Junction, Wesburn and Seville.
Leading emergency service authorities, including the Department of Sustainability’s Nigel Brennan, the Country Fire Authority’s Graeme Bertram and Warburton’s Police Sergeant Paul Bell, spoke at the meeting and answered a range of questions.
Authorities covered what was under threat, the weather forecast, how to enact fire plans and the difficult question of what has been lighting the fires.
“How much do we need to worry,” one woman asked of the CFA’s Mr Bertram.
Yarra Ranges Shire mayor Len Cox as well as councillors Jeanette McRae, Samantha Dunn, Chris Templar and Tim Heenan also attended.
They, like everyone else, were concerned about their community.
“There is a very big threat to the community. We (the councillors) want to hear what is going on, just like everyone else, and we want to help, just like everyone,” Cr Cox said.
Wesburn resident Richard Finette says that while the information provided by the meeting was valuable he also had been relying heavily on news from the ABC and the local Yarra Valley FM radio stations.
Mr Finette said he had faith in the information supplied by the CFA and felt prepared.
“The CFA has done a good job. Each summer you come to expect that there may be a fire. Living in this area you expect to be affected by fire danger,” Mr Finette said.
“We’ve got a fire plan ready and we’ve made the decision to stay.
We’ve got clothing, torches, a radio, food, water and the animals are where we know they will be safe.”
Cr Cox closed the community meeting with praise for the emergency service workers who were fighting the fires.
His praise was met by applause and cheers from the crowd.