On Wednesday, June 11, the new Minister for Emergency Services and Natural Disaster Recovery, Vicki Ward, paid Rochester a visit.
Ms Ward was also joined by the Emergency Management commissioner Tim Wiebusch and Emergency Management chief executive Mariela Diaz.
Following the October 2022 Rochester floods, Emergency Recovery Victoria partnered with all levels of government to respond to recovery needs.
ERV supported Campaspe Shire Council and the Rochester community through programs and funding that enabled locally led recovery.
Throughout the day, the three guests met with key community members, including representatives from the Rochester Business Network, Rochester Recovery Committee and Rochester Community House.
The group was given a tour of the town, stopping by the site of the new Rochester CFA and VICSES joint Emergency Services Hub and Rochester Secondary College.
The Rochester Recovery Committee members spoke about their role in the community, the needs of local organisations and the lessons learnt for future recovery efforts.
The guests then met with Campaspe Shire Council Mayor Daniel Mackrell and chief executive Pauline Gordon.
During their meeting, they discussed continued advocacy for Build Back Better and opportunities for better collaboration between all tiers of government.
A spokesperson for Emergency Recovery Victoria said ERV would continue to work alongside the community to support locally managed recovery in Rochester.
“ERV continues to work closely with the impacted councils and communities to provide support during the transition to locally managed recovery,” they said.
“We know that communities that are involved in their own recovery journeys are more supported and achieve better outcomes.
“We will continue to work closely with Rochester and support their locally-led recovery by working with the Community Recovery Committee and other community leaders.”