JJ Barrett
Community resilience grows through attention, preparation, flexibility, shared knowledge and a deeper relationship with place.
A reflection on resilience as an active commitment to understanding Noojee’s seasons, risks, resources and vulnerabilities, while knowing when to seek help and share knowledge.
Resilience is often spoken about as though it is something a community either has or does not have.
But resilience is not passive.
It asks something of us.
It takes commitment.
Commitment not just to live here, but to learn what it takes to live here well.
For a place like Noojee, that can mean sticking it out when things get tough.
Being humble enough to ask for help when it is needed.
Learning to be flexible when circumstances change.
Understanding that the environment around us will not always behave the way we want it to.
And perhaps most importantly, becoming more aware of the place we actually live in.
Watching the seasons.
Noticing what blooms when.
Learning what can be harvested and when.
Understanding what opportunities appear at different times of year.
Watching weather patterns.
Knowing when fire conditions are changing.
Understanding what happens to our water, roads, power and communications during emergencies.
Knowing where our vulnerabilities are before something goes wrong.
And asking ourselves not only:
What is happening now?
But also:
What might happen next, and what can we do to prepare for it?
That kind of awareness builds confidence.
It gives people more agency.
It helps us make better decisions.
It also creates a deeper relationship with place.
Living close to the forest can be beautiful, but it also asks us to pay attention.
There are rhythms here.
Seasonal opportunities.
Seasonal risks.
Things that need doing before winter.
Things that need checking before summer.
Things that can be gathered, repaired, planted, maintained or prepared long before they become urgent.
Resilience is not about never needing help.
Quite the opposite.
Sometimes resilience is knowing when to reach out before a small problem becomes a crisis.
It is knowing who around you has the skills you do not.
It is recognising that capability grows when knowledge is shared.
For a town like Noojee, resilience is not simply surviving hardship.
It is learning the landscape.
Learning the seasons.
Learning from one another.
And becoming capable enough to move with change rather than always being knocked over by it.
