Eurobodalla playdates support kids, families recover from Black Summer, prepare for the next

The stress, anxiety and fear that came from the devastating Black Summer bushfires took their toll on the children caught up in the disaster almost five years ago.

In order to help deal with the trauma, a series of playdates will take place across the Eurobodalla this month for children and their families.

The NSW State Emergency Services’ (SES) Emergency Services Playdates program aims to provide essential information to children and their parents on how to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

“The playdates were created to help with the trauma that was left behind for the children after the Black Summer Bushfires,” NSW SES Batemans Bay community engagement coordinator Jacklyn Roque said.

She developed the program, and for her, the initiative is personal.

“My husband, who is also in the SES, saved our house and my neighbour’s house,” Ms Roque said.

“I saw parents separated from their children as they stayed to defend their homes while the kids went off to find safety.

“During the Black Summer Bushfires, we had no food, no fuel, no communications, no internet. Water was almost at risk, so this is why we are really pushing, in a fun way, the preparedness side.”

The Babies and Young Children in the Black Summer (BiBS) Study, by the Australian Breastfeeding Association and Western Sydney University, looked into the bushfires’ impacts on children.

Released in 2023, it found the emergency response to very young children and their caregivers was inadequate.

“Very young children and (predominantly) mothers are bearing the brunt of this and are being exposed to avoidable risks,” the report concluded.

“Emergency responders are not being enabled by appropriate planning, training, or resourcing to support families with very young children in disasters.

“In recovery, programs to support the parents of the very youngest children are largely absent.”

Also, the Eurobodalla Shire Council said following the bushfires, feedback to its children’s services team showed parents felt rushed when packing things really needed for evacuation and that some children remained apprehensive around emergency services personnel, vehicles and equipment.

However, the SES says that Emergency Services Playdates have had a positive impact since last year.

NSW SES volunteers have been visiting preschools and feel they have become much more approachable to children.

“These playdates last year were considered a bit innovative, but the need was clear, identified by both research and our own knowledge that children learn best through play,” Eurobodalla Council’s coordinator of children’s services, Louise Hatton, said.

“The response was phenomenal so we’re following up with another three events this year.”

The Emergency Services Playdates will feature activities for children, with various emergency service vehicles to explore, emergency services bingo, tug of war, music, colouring, a free sausage sizzle and more.

NSW SES will hand out items such as evacuation bags, hats, pencil cases, library bags, and soft toys made by the Uniforms4Kids charity.

NSW SES acting Commissioner Debbie Platz said the playdates meant children and families could learn important lessons from SES volunteers about how to prepare for and respond during floods, storms and tsunamis.

“Events like this help us to help the community understand their risk and become more resilient whilst learning how we can assist them during floods, storms and other emergencies,” she said.

The Eurobodalla’s free Emergency Services Playdates will take place at:

• Corrigans Beach Reserve, Batehaven: 21 October, 5:30 pm to 7 pm
• Quota Park, Narooma: 24 October, 5:30 pm to 7 pm
• Riverside Park, Moruya: 28 October, 5:30 pm to 7 pm.

Participating agencies include SES, Police, Fire and Rescue, RFS, Ambulance, Marine Rescue, Australian Breastfeeding Association and Red Cross.

You can read more about the BiBS study, as well as resources for preparing for emergencies when you have children, at the Breastfeeding Association.