Clayton Barr, Dan Watton & Dan Repacholi. Photo Ken Martin.
Community led bushfire recovery: Upper Yango Landholders Association
Following the 2019-20 Black Summer fires and Wollombi valley floods in both 2020 and 2022, a group of landholders in Upper Yango Creek, Laguna banded together to seek grant funding and establish a program of recovery and resilience works.
Their website documents the impressive range of projects completed from essential road works, extensive riparian repair, habitat restoration, cool burning, to community fire training and equipment.
Habitat restoration works included creating artificial hollows in areas used by yellow-bellied gliders, refuge tunnels for small mammals, and revegetation of the riparian corridors. These works were supported by a wide range of fauna, flora, and fire recovery surveys.
North Sullivan from UYLA spoke at the NCC Bushfire Conference in 2025 on the power of community when neighbours are motivated by common goals to protect both their assets and the environment.
The Power of Community
At the Nature Conservation Council of NSW’s Biannual Bushfire Conference, in May 2025, I had the privilege to present the story of Upper Yango and its remarkable achievement in the aftermath of the Black Summer bushfires that devastated our small rural community.
What the presentation here
19/4/2026
FROM THE ASHES TO ACTION:
Upper Yango Community Marks Fire Recovery Milestone
A Black Summer “good news” story.
On Sunday 19 April 2026, representatives of all three levels of government gathered to celebrate
the delivery of a 1,200-litre fire trailer, purchased with funds received under the NSW Community
Building Partnership Grant.
Clayton Barr (State Member for Cessnock), Dan Repacholi (Federal Member for Hunter), Mayor
Dan Watton (Cessnock LGA) and Councillor Jessica Jurd attended a community celebration
hosted by the Upper Yango Landholders Association at their Community Fire Crew’s evolving
Fire HQ.
The event marked an important milestone for the community and a demonstration of their resolve
to take a proactive stance in protecting both people and assets, together with the natural
environment they value so deeply.
A refurbished caravan that survived the fires somewhat scathed serves as the temporary HQ for
the community’s Bush Fire Crew. The new fire trailer is an important addition to the crew’s
firefighting capabilities, complementing equipment purchased previously under the State and
Federal Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF) grant.
UYLA President North Sullivan explains the philosophy underpinning their approach: “By
empowering a community like ours, there are genuine benefits — not just in their ability to deal
with an incoming threat very quickly, but equally in the cost of resourcing a motivated community
compared to the RFS.”
In Upper Yango, the community believes that a motivated, educated and well-resourced crew —
with strong strategic defences and working alongside the RFS and Parks — can realistically
expect to contain and divert an incoming fire away from private properties, defending not just the
houses but everything within that defensive network. By stopping a fire at the first contact on the
border of unmanaged public land, they aim to protect not only the property directly under attack
but all those that lie in the fire’s ongoing path.
Australia Day Dinner
Welcome to the Upper Yango Blog. A place to catch up on all the news, views and trivia from our valley community.
26th January 2025, Australia Day in the bush
The annual Upper Yango Dinner was hosted by John and Kate George at their Kalimna homestead. Fine food, wine and great conversation.
This year took on special significance as we come to the end of three and a half years soil and toil as we busied ourselves spending our substantial grant money on our very ambitious Fire and Ecology Restoration Project.
The evening was also an opportunity to present the new website, complete with informative videos and comprehensive survey reports.
Thank you to John and Kate for hosting another wonderful evening.