Murrindindi Shire communities LEAPing towards resilience

Published on 04 April 2025

Five communities across Murrindindi Shire have successfully completed the LEAPing into Resilience Project, creating Local Emergency Action Plans (LEAPs) to help them withstand the impacts of natural disasters. The communities are Flowerdale, Glenburn, Marysville and Triangle, Toolangi and Castella, and Yea and District.

The LEAPing into Resilience Project is a joint initiative between Murrindindi, Mansfield and Strathbogie Shire Councils, made possible with funding from the Australian Government.

The first round of the LEAP Project was designed to help communities prepare for and recover after emergencies. It provided opportunities for community members to connect with each other and receive training in areas they identified as important, such as what to do in the first 72 hours after an emergency, chainsaw use and maintenance, grant writing skills and psychological first aid. Council would like to thank the community members who participated, and emergency services volunteers and agencies for their guidance and input into the Project.

With the completion of this Project, community members who participated from these five communities are now better equipped with skills and knowledge to increase their resilience. We encourage all community members to practise preparedness, and familiarise themselves with the finalised LEAPs on our website at murrindindi.vic.gov.au/leaps

A second round of the LEAP Project is coming in April 2025, as Council has been successful in securing extra funding to work with more communities. The new grant funding is from the Safer Together Program through the Victorian Government's Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). This upcoming Project will be in partnership with Mansfield Shire Council.

If your community could benefit from being involved in the next LEAP Project, email leap@murrindindi.vic.gov.au or call Council on (03) 5772 0333.

Murrindindi Shire Council’s Community Wellbeing Portfolio Councillor Jodi Adams encouraged more communities to nominate for the Project.

“Our residents who were involved in the LEAPing into Resilience Project have already taken the jump and are building towards stronger communities with increased resilience. Feedback from those involved has been positive, and I would highly encourage our communities who were not involved the first time to contact Council and nominate for the upcoming opportunity.”

“Real opportunities for capacity building, such as the chainsaw operation course, help our communities prepare for the future, and the equally important, but harder to measure, connection between our people, provides a key pillar of resilience in the face of adversity” Cr Adams added.

Pictured above: Participants from Yea and Flowerdale at a chainsaw training day.

Pictured: LEAPing into Resilience bag.

Pictured: Toolangi and Castella residents at the First 72 hours session at Toolangi.