21/09/2025
EMERGENCY SERVICES MEETING REPORT
After the recent power, phone and internet outages, it became apparent that many in the village didn’t know about the emergency services which were available at the Community Hall. A meeting was called to discuss the issues and about 15 villagers showed up Thursday afternoon to make a plan. Here is the outcome:
During emergencies and unplanned power outages of more than 2 hours, or during long planned power outages, the Community Hall will be a place to shelter, to get power for charging phones and the like, to get access to water, toilets, showers, a warm cup of tea, etc. The doors to the hall will be unlocked and the lights turned on during these times. Shelley Broad, who manages the hall, or Errol Smith, Fire Chief, will check in every hour or so while the doors are open. In general, these openings will be limited to between 7am and 9pm, unless a civil defence emergency exists.
If you need emergency services and the Hall is not open, Shelley lives next to the hall, just through the gate in the back fence. If she is not available any member of the Fire Brigade can also open the hall. Please, if you use the Hall, leave it in the condition you found it.
Errol pointed out that our biggest need is for better communications. Not everyone is on Facebook, and when the internet is out that’s not an option. There is definitely a need for physical signs to be placed around the village to inform locals and Airbnb guests when and where they can go in an emergency. Four locations were chosen. First is the Hall itself, to let everyone know that it's open. The other three locations are the shop, the surf club and the tennis court bus shelter.
Errol and I will work on the wording and production of the signs and perhaps also a frig magnet with phone numbers and information. We will always post updates in the Morning Report and in the Tidings.
Thanks to Shelley and Errol for being so diligent and always ready to help.
