What do you remember about the 2018 Gracemere fires?

Published on 10 February 2020

Rockhampton Regional Libraries is inviting you to share your memories of the fires which threatened Gracemere, Kabra, Stanwell, and Alton Downs in November 2018 as part of the Recording Resilient Stories of Today for the Future: CQ Bushfire Project.

The project is jointly funded under the Commonwealth/State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Mayor Margaret Strelow said the CQ Bushfire Project will serve a number of important purposes.

“It’s over a year now since this bushfire threatened so many homes in our community, however, for many the memory of the event is still as vivid as ever,” said Mayor Strelow.

“Every person that was affected that day had a different experience, and we are asking the community to share those experiences with us.

“Already, as part of this project we have heard from people who have shared their shock at the suddenness of the fires, stories of evacuation and relief at finding the fires had been contained, and appreciation for those who fought the blaze.

“We want to hear as many stories as possible from as many people as possible so we can form a complete record of what our community faced.

“We’re also asking the community to bring in any photos and videos they have from the fires to preserve through our Memory Lab.

“Everything we capture throughout the project will be recorded as part of the regionally significant CQ Collection at the Rockhampton History Centre.

“The project will also help us better understand what individuals faced that day, and plan for the whole community moving forward.

“I would like to encourage everyone to head in to the Gracemere Library and speak to one of our great staff members about being part of this project, and help to tell the story of our community.”