This month we spoke with Miranda Hampton, Senior Community Resilience Officer, Adelaide Hills Council, about her role and recently being awarded the Excellence in Emergency Management / Disaster Recovery Award at the
LG Professionals SA 23^rd Annual Leadership Excellence Awards Gala Dinner. 

What is your role?

In my role as Senior Community Resilience Officer, I'm privileged to oversee the Community Resilience Team at Adelaide Hills Council. Together we are working with our local community and partnering organisations including the CFS and the Australian Red Cross, to improve local preparedness for future emergencies and recovery processes in the Adelaide Hills.

How long have you been in local government?

I have worked in community development, recovery and resilience in local government for more than seven years.

Congratulations! You and your team recently won the Excellence in Emergency Management / Disaster Recovery Award at the LG Professionals SA 23^rd Annual Leadership Excellence Awards. Can you tell us about your project?

The Towards Community Led Emergency Resilience project builds on our learnings through the Cudlee Creek and Cherry Gardens bushfires. Through working closely with our community, it became apparent that there were gaps in how council and our community were preparing for disasters and subsequent recovery processes. The project is mindful of the unique preparedness needs of cohorts within our community, including children, families and people with a lived experience of disability. The project has included the delivery of community led disaster resilience workshops in partnership with the Red Cross and a grants program to assist local halls to operate as community support hubs following disasters. This project has also allowed us to review and significantly improve our own internal processes, including the development of a Recovery Operations Manual and Bushfire Mitigation Strategy.

What does winning this award mean to you, your council, and your community?

This award has provided a wonderful opportunity to share with our community that we are listening; to their experiences, their insights and their ideas, to improve our collective preparedness for future emergencies. It validates putting energy into trying new approaches based on evidence, staff learnings and community engagement. It also demonstrates the value of working in partnership with community and agencies, to address complex problems together. Hopefully it will help to shine a spotlight on the benefits of investing in preparedness and building local resilience. 

What advice would you give someone considering nominating for an award in the future?

Be brave and go for it. A nomination helps to further important conversations for all councils through the sharing of your experience. It is also a great opportunity to provide acknowledgement to all staff members involved in the work.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoy spending time with my husband, children and friends in the great outdoors - camping, walking and star gazing. I also love growing flowers and vegetables, working at my wheel throwing clay and listening to audio books.