Weekly Wrap up

Every week we will be listing news articles and other resources that we have read recently, focusing on community recovery and resilience, natural disasters and managed retreat relating to Australia and the greater Pacific region.  We invite you to share any relevant articles or events with us by emailing them to jamie@jamiesimmonds.com.

Giveaway!

Let's start things off with a giveaway!  We are giving away five copies of Rising from the Flood: Moving the Town of Grantham.  All you have to do is sign up to our newsletter by submitting your email address in the box to the right or at the bottom of the page.  Already have a copy of the book?  That's ok, we can gift it to anybody of your choosing.  You can choose between a hard copy or the ebook but hard copies can only be delivered in Australia and the United States.  Winners will be drawn 31/05/2020.

What We've been reading

It's impressive to see there is still a fair amount of oversees media coverage of the Australian bush fire crisis.  The following two articles look to the future, outlining what can be done to build resilience around communities, and highlights how Australia is at the forefront of bush fire fighting technology.

• New York Times - Australia’s Fire Season Ends, and Researchers Look to the Next One by Helen Sullivan

• New York Times - In Australia, an Architect Designs for a Future of Fire by Casey Quackenbush

Closer to home, big waves pummelled the Wellington coastline in New Zealand, again prompting talks of managed retreat for residents who experience frequent flooding of their properties.

• Stuff - Five-metre waves in Wellington prompt calls for managed retreat​ by Amber-Leigh Woolf

​Past Events

Jamie was set to host his official book launch last month at the Withcott Hotel.  Unfortunately we had to cancel the event due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but luckily Brisbane's Avid Reader Bookshop provided us an opportunity to do an online version.  If you missed it head on over to the Events page to watch Jamie's discussion with journalist Christine Jackman where they talked about writing his memoir, Rising from the Flood.

Useful Resources

This week Claire-Louise attended the first in a series of webinars hosted by Rural Aid and Bank of I.D.E.A.S.  The Community Builders webinar series focuses on community rebuilding and resilience.  It was great being able to listen in on discussions on how thinking laterally and including community youth in decision making processes transformed the town of Kulin in Western Australia's wheat belt.  These seminars, run every Tuesday for the next few weeks, are free to attend.  Head to Rural Aid to register.

where you've been reading

Thanks to Tim Mackinley for sending in a photo of him reading Rising from the Flood poolside in Bali back in March.  Unfortunately that copy had to be quarantined for 14 days on re-entry to Australia.

We love seeing where you're reading Rising from the Flood.  You can send us your photos to jamie@jamiesimmonds.com or tag us on Instagram or Facebook @jamie_benn_simmonds.