I often think about the fires, the impact they had on our community and the lives that were changed forever.

To see how far the community and the natural environment has recovered in that time is inspiring. I admire our Shire's strength and the ability to get on with things in the wake of such devastation.

The capacity for these times to unite us rather than divide us is what has shone through in the Black Summer & Beyond commemorative projects Council has delivered.

To mark the first anniversary, we created the Black Summer and Beyond touring photo exhibition which has just won a prestigious R H Dougherty Award for Innovation in Special Events.

The exhibition has now been loaded online and is free to view and share.

The entire collection of photos can be viewed on Council's Readiness and Recovery page at ksc.pub/recovery.

For the second anniversary of the fires we premiered the Black Summer & Beyond documentary at Majestic Cinema Kempsey.

Now Council is sponsoring a series of free screenings for the community. The first session is at 8pm 23 November and there will be more sessions throughout the summer, with many more screenings to come. Check out the Majestic website for details.

Please note while tickets are free, there is an automatic booking fee if you reserve your spot online, however there is no fee if you get your tickets in person.

Our Readiness & Recovery team have created the perfect keepsake of the exhibition. They have compiled the compelling photos along with the stories behind them into a commemorative 108 page book.

The book features a Forward by Shane Fitzsimmons, Commissioner for Resilience NSW.

This extraordinary book is available to buy for $10 from many locations across the shire including:

For more information and new locations to obtain the book head to ksc.pub/recovery

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