Disaster fund's Cobargo pilot to start

The fund which is run by the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast, is independent of council, although both the mayor Sharon Tapscott and Cr Russell Fitzpatrick are committee members.

Cr Tapscott told council that the fund had sat at around $200,000 for a long time before a large donation was received from Sydney's Greek Orthodox Church taking the balance to $605,000.

"We are very grateful to the church," Cr Tapscott said.

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Distribution of part of the fund, in a pilot trial at Cobargo will start in July. Anyone would be entitled to complete an application form which will be considered by the Social Justice Advocates.

Cr Tapscott said that a simple form had been designed for what was likely to be a small amount of money to help with basic necessities such as food vouchers, some household or garden equipment or wood for heating, for example.

"We're starting in Cobargo because we have already received $17,000 from Villers Bretonneux. They sent the money because two soldiers from Cobargo are buried there and so the money must be used in Cobargo.

"We're adding to it to take it to $60,000 and have decided to make this a pilot at Cobargo," Cr Tapscott said.

"There are a lot of people doing a lot in terms of recovery, and we don't want to duplicate effort. We can't build a house with this amount of money. This is about the small things that might make life a bit more comfortable. We also can't give cash but we can put it into their bank account. We're trying to get an idea of the needs," Cr Tapscott said.

Once the Cobargo pilot was underway, Cr Tapscott said they hoped to move quickly to other areas further south.

The fund is a perpetual one. Council put in $25,000 but the plan is to ensure it does not fall below $50,000 so that there is always money available for an emergency.