This project will provide our community with well-positioned, secure caches of community owned emergency assets in order to temporarily provide power, clean water, first aid, evacuation centre supplies and communications, during and immediately following a crisis.

Supported by Northern Rivers Community Foundation.

We have been establishing an alternative communications system using UHF radio and satellite internet. Around 50 community owned UHF radios have been distributed across the neighbourhood groups, to community leaders and easily isolated properties. These are being boosted with antennas, where needed, to navigate our hilly terrain.
The general public are being encouraged to buy their own radios and channels have been set for each neighbourhood. Training on the use and maintenance of these, and the options around alternative power sources is underway. This system will allow neighbourhoods to communicate with each other when the commercial mobile phone and internet networks are not functioning, as during past events.

Satellite internet has a key role to play in emergency comms. RUKI has secured Starlink satellite internet, which will be able to be activated in a disaster at a central hub in Uki village. This will ensure communication is possible between neighbourhood groups and a central hub/evacuation centre, as well as with outside agencies and support resources. This will be supplemented by privately owned satellite internet facilities within the various neighbourhoods.

This project has been made possible with the support of ITV Australia, GIVIT (with support from NSW Government), Conservation Volunteers Australia, Tweed Shire Council and from a donation by Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs (Women Like Us).

In times of emergency, especially when access points are cut off, we need to share resources and information not only within our own local community, but with other communities who are facing similar impacts. This project is focused on establishing a network and tools for neighbouring communities along the Koonyum Range to support each other when we become isolated.

Thank you to the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal for funding this program.

In 2023, RUKI supported a major community celebration.
‘The Uki Stomp’ brought together the people of Uki and surrounding villages, with support from local businesses, community members, plus emergency services and recovery agencies to celebrate our community spirit and resilience.

The event was proudly funded by the NSW Government delivered in partnership with Tweed Shire Council

Photo credit: Vibrant Imaging

As well as working on these projects, we have been establishing key relationships with leading disaster response agencies, researchers and not-for-profits to learn from (and ensure a community voice in) preparedness for, response to and recovery from disasters.

We’re working with emergency services, Council, State Government and other Community Resilience Network stakeholders to better plan and coordinate our response to the next disaster.

We have also partnered with Plan C to deliver the Community Carers and Responders program in Uki, training more than 25 local leaders and giving Greater Uki increased capacity for on-the-ground community support in times of disaster and crisis.