In an era of self isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic there seems no better time for a community to rely on some more traditional forms of communication.
Cue the recent return of the Bullaburra community notice board which disappeared during the highway roadworks. It relied on the persistence of Ward 2 Cr Romola Hollywood and other community members to see a new $10,000 sturdy council-funded board put in the village green.
The 3 x 1.5 metre board in Bullaburra park on Noble Street has been installed and from this week there will be extra messages for the community, with points of contact for concerns about the virus.
Kerin Pollock's home backs on to the park and she also works for Belong Blue Mountains. She said Bullaburra often got forgotten in emergencies - like fire updates - and the community appreciated having the vital resource back.
Belong Blue Mountains community engagement manager Danielle Wilding-Forbes said it was even more pertinent while everyone was self isolating, to have a facility residents could "dip in and out of" as they chose, without involving "physical contact". She said there was a strong support for community gatherings in Bullaburra and this would only build that connection.
Cr Hollywood said when the Bullaburra East section of the highway was completed in 2015 and the noticeboard did not return, staff at the Mid Mountains Neighbourhood Centre (now Belong Blue Mountains) raised their concerns. The old board was not suitable and a new one needed to be found and the community consulted about the location.
The board has information for local groups and was also an "important touch-stone ... for people who may not have internet access or use social media", she said. Anyone can leave messages in the board, which is checked regularly.
The park is used for community days by both Belong Mountains and the Bullaburra Rural Fire Brigade as well as being popular with families and other local residents.
"It's been a long time coming and I'm really pleased Bullaburra now has its noticeboard rightfully returned and reinstated," said Cr Hollywood.
"I am full of praise for the patience and persistence of the team at Belong.This new noticeboard means not-for-profit and community-based organisations can promote their activities which helps keep our community connected. This is perhaps more important than ever, as we deal with the collective challenges of bushfires, flooding rains and now the COVID-19 pandemic."
Mayor Mark Greenhill said it "got missed in the highway upgrade and I'm glad we've been able to pick this up".
"In times of uncertainty it's really nice to know that the little things matter, and to the community of Bullaburra, this matters".
