Cutting the ribbon of the new Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Council building are (from left) Uncle Sam Nye, Aunty Maryanne Nye, Skye Nye, Tayla Nye, Andrew Nye, Aunty Angela Nye and Uncle Ron Nye. Photo: Supplied.
The Mogo community’s deep affection for the Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) building captured the hearts of the many outsiders who helped rebuild it.
Out of the devastation of the Black Summer bushfires five years ago, Mogo residents have new friends and a beautiful new building that is again the community’s hub.
Like several of the larger Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF) projects, it took far longer and cost more than anyone had anticipated.
Some projects took people near breaking point as they had to compete for funding, liaise with multiple government agencies, and deal with huge volumes of paperwork. They had to do so while they and their communities were trying to recover from major trauma.
CEO and principal environmental engineer at Sydney’s WolfPeak, Tim Stubbs, who was project manager, said it had been an amazing project but a difficult one.
“We didn’t know if we would get the money,” he told the crowd at the official opening on 22 November.
Mogo LALC CEO Linda Carlson “was the real engine, staying committed for years”, he said.
“We didn’t have enough money for a while there, but she kept on going. She is a natural wonder.”
He said Sean Hogan of Typology Architecture in the ACT was one of the “most generous and committed” people.
“Sean has given five times the amount of time he was paid for,” Mr Stubbs said. “With every problem, he said give me time, I will sort it out.”
Mr Stubbs said they could not have had a better builder than Nick Minato, of South Building Company in Batemans Bay.
The smoking ceremony at the official opening of the Mogo LALC office on 22 November. Photo: Supplied.
Tim Stevenson, a First Nations Canadian who had worked for the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, was there from day one and was another person integral to the project.
“I helped Mogo put the grant application together and supported the project team and helped with documentation,” Mr Stevenson said. “I was hearing stories of the impact of losing that building and trying to support them. I became friends with a lot of people.”
Mogo LALC chair Tayla Nye moved people to tears when she addressed the crowd.
“Hearing we had lost the LALC was very emotional. This is a second home for us,” Ms Nye said. “There were members of the community who lost their homes, as well as this, and had nowhere to go.”
Ms Carlson was in Batemans Bay on 31 December, 2019, when the fire tore through Mogo.
“My rangers were fighting for their lives and now some of them are on the LALC board,” she said. “I started crying. I thought everyone had perished. I thought, there is no Mogo anymore.”
All the power lines were down, some people had lost their homes, and there was no water. Everyone gathered around the Boomerang Meeting Place run by Aunty Maryanne Nye.
Ms Carlson asked Eurobodalla Shire Council for such things as generators and batteries. She also directed the many organisations that came to Mogo in the days immediately after the fire to see what people needed.
“We got sleeping bags, gas bottles, camp stoves, blankets and towels,” Ms Carlson said. “It was like a war zone.”
At the official opening of the Mogo LALC building are (from left) Aunty Angela Nye, Uncle Sam Nye, Aunty Maryanne Nye, Eurobodalla Shire Council Mayor Mat Hatcher, Skye Nye, NSW Aboriginal Land Council South Coast region councillor Danny Chapman, Andrew Nye, Mogo LALC chair Tayla Nye, Mogo LALC CEO Linda Carlson, Uncle Ron Nye and Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips. Photo: Marion Williams.
Mogo Chamber of Commerce president Richard Adams said the military came to help, as did the Business Council of Australia. He said it had been difficult to ascertain what was needed – immediately and for the future.
He said it was an amazing building but more important were the people who had made it happen.
“People were having meetings on plastic tables in temporary buildings and still accomplished this with the help of the government, people from Sydney and Canberra, and local people,” Mr Adams said. “I have got new friends.”
Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips said it had been an immense journey.
“Full credit to Linda, who has continually fought for funding, initially BLERF, and then she came back for more,” Ms Phillips said.
“So many business owners have played a part, which speaks to how important the LALC building is to the community.”
She said the Federal and NSW governments contributed about $2.9 million in funding.
NSW Aboriginal Land Council’s South Coast region councillor Danny Chapman said the building would go towards the healing process.
“We wanted to make this a really good showcase for everyone,” he said. “This isn’t just an LALC, it is open for the Mogo community. We support one another.”
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