Neighbours helping neighbours isn’t a new concept, but it’s one that Bellingen Shire is embracing – with a little help from its friends.
A group of residents got together in March last year and established the Neighbourhood Care Network. Now, with support from Bellingen Shire Council and a grant from Healthy North Coast under the Australian Government’s ‘Supporting Communities in Bushfire Recovery’ scheme, the network is expanding.
Chair of the Neighbourhood Care Network, Kerry Pearse, said as the spectre of COVID rose 18 months ago, community members came together to discuss how to keep the shire safe.
One of the key initiatives of the Bellingen Shire Pandemic Response Group was the region’s first drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic, organised by local doctors who were worried that a single case presenting at a GP surgery would shut it down for a fortnight.
‘Another priority was to find a way for the community to stay connected and help each other even though we were being told to isolate and stay at home,’ Ms Pearse said.
‘The solution turned out to be a neighbours-helping-neighbours system, with households who lived near each other signing up to give and receive assistance, which could be about shopping, walking a dog, or just chatting on the phone.
‘Each small, hyper-local group has a volunteer coordinator trained in COVID-safe procedures, and everyone is connected via a website and SMS messaging to a central information hub.’
Members receive reliable and timely SMS alerts about emergencies, relevant COVID restrictions and severe weather events, such as flooding and bridge closures. The network currently has 765 members and is aiming for 2,000 by 2022. It has grown to include Urunga, Raleigh, Repton and Mylestom and continues to expand.
‘We say Bellingen Shire and surrounding areas,’ Ms Pearse said. ‘Anyone can sign up for the texts. Setting up local neighbourhood groups in places that are further away will depend on how much interest there is in that community.
‘We’re working with people in Dundurrabin who are keen. People are signing up for the texts as far north as Sandy Beach and down to Macksville heading south.’
For more information, visit the Neighbourhood Care Network website, Facebook page, or or call (02) 6655 1121.