11 September 2019

Festival of Open Minds Podcast - Jo Dodds, from the front line of climate and fire

| Ian Campbell
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Photos: Chris Sheedy, Reflexe

Photos: Chris Sheedy, Reflexe

Vimy Ridge resident and Bega Valley Shire Councilor, Jo Dodds strongly believes climate change is at play in her community, she points to the bushfires of March 18 that ripped through her community at Tathra.

Sixty-five homes were lost on that day, Jo’s home was very lucky not to be one of them.

Her appeal to the Prime Minister in the week after those flames captured the attention of author, environmentalist, and co-founder of the global change agent – 350.org, Bill McKibben.

Mr McKibben invited Jo to be a speaker on his ‘Fossil Free Acceleration Tour’, which took in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, and Newcastle in April and May.

Jo called on leaders to act now to reduce the risks of further climate change, advocating as she does for regional communities.

When Jo spoke at The Festival of Open Minds on September 1, the vast Yankees Gap Fire was burning in the hills west of Bega. That blaze went on to claim four homes and 20,000 hectares of bush and grassland.

Click play on the AudioBoom link to join the conversation…

Thanks to Gerry Corcoran and the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre for their audio, visual, and tech support at the festival.

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Fraser Buchanan5:25 pm 03 Nov 18

Should as a councillor be pushing her council to initiate a perpetual Disaster relief fund, something that members of the community, businesses & all levels of government can contribute to, too support victims of disasters like bushfires and flood into the future along the lines of what Council did with the Tathra Mayoral appeal fund, but in this case an ongoing fund to be there for future events… Other shires have funds like this in place…

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