
Shoalhaven City Council welcomed Blacktown City Council Mayor, Tony Bleasdale OAM, to present a donation of $30,000 to the Shoalhaven Mayor’s Bushfire Relief Fund on behalf of the City of Blacktown.
Mayor Bleasdale stipulated that all monies raised by the City of Blacktown were to go directly to people impacted by the New South Wales bushfires.
To date the Shoalhaven Mayor’s Bushfire Relief Fund has disbursed $258,995 to bushfire affected residents in the Shoalhaven with a total of $361,696.18 raised and 265 phase one grants allocated.
Shoalhaven Mayor, Amanda Findley, said, “We are grateful to the people of Blacktown for their generosity in supporting our region as we work to emerge from this bushfire season and its impacts in a better, stronger and more resilient position.
“We are acutely aware that the bushfire recovery process is long and ongoing, with many fire-affected families facing new challenges and needs that come with the colder winter months.
“We will continue to make sure the payments go to individuals and trades people who have been directly impacted and need it the most and are committed to providing residents with ongoing support for the long term.”
Mayor Bleasdale said, “In January this year, Council committed to do whatever it could to assist the councils and communities that were devastated by the bushfires. Our Bushfire Appeal raised more than $80,000 in cash donations for bushfire affected communities.”
“Council wanted to make sure that our Bushfire Appeal donations went directly to support residents directly affected by the fires, funds are also going to the not-for-profit organisation GIVIT and the Milton and Nowra Country Women’s Association.”
Eligible recipients of the Shoalhaven Mayor’s Bushfire Relief Fund include full-time residents (including renters), and those whose home, infrastructure or outbuildings have been damaged or destroyed and tradespeople, including apprentices, who have had vehicles, equipment or tools damaged or destroyed.