Led by Ned Makim, Emily Williams and Carol South, the group hopes to create a community-driven event during a low fire danger period to celebrate the firefighters who faced the flames as well as the volunteers and organisations who helped behind the scenes during and after the Tingha Plateau blaze.

To be held after Tingha's boundary adjustment to the Inverell Shire in July, the event would also celebrate the powerful bond between the two communities, and be an opportunity for residents to heal together. 

"When the flames die down, the attention dies off, but the impact it has psychologically on people remains," Ned said.

"When you’re dealing with people who had the fire five metres from their house and firefighters standing there fighting it and the chopper dropping water on them and on the house, it’s a very deep experience and you feel very clearly ‘this isn’t just going to go away’. People are traumatised by this." 

Ned has seen the trauma face to face as part of Chainsaws On Call, a group which has been helping fire affected residents remove dangerous trees from their properties.

"In some cases the insurance assessors wouldn’t come in because a tree would be too dangerous, so nothing can progress. We had volunteers from the local community, Singleton, Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Bundarra, Warialda, just turn up and help us do work," he said.

"The fire can be metres away, and everything happening - the heat, the noise, all of that sort of stuff - and then there’s nothing, it’s over. Everyone just goes. And they’re just sitting there wide-eyed. When we come across them to do this work for Chainsaws on Call, they are still wide-eyed."

Details of the proposed two-day event will depend on community input, but the involvement of both Tingha and Inverell is essential, says Ned.

"It needs to be a Tingha-Inverell thing, not an Inverell thing. Tingha’s a very proud community and a very independent community and so we’re looking to engage with Tingha as much as possible," he said.

The group hope to invite all of the fire brigades who helped fight the fire, as well as individuals who pitched in. 

SEE ALSO

The current vision includes a day in Inverell, beginning with a parade down the main street celebrating the people and groups who were involved in the fire fighting and recovery.

"School groups, sports groups, people who were buttering the bread. There might be a bread butterers' guild for all I know, and they should be there," Ned said.

The parade would lead to Victoria Park for a possible barbecue lunch, followed by a formal recognition of the volunteers and welcome for Tingha into the Inverell Shire. Ned said the potential is endless for the following day in Tingha, which would include the opportunity for attendees to spend money at local businesses and help fundraise for the community. 

"Each possibility only takes one committed person to make happen," he said. 

The Inverell Shire Council, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall and the Chamber of Commerce have already expressed their support for the event.

To learn more about the event or volunteer your time or resources, call Ned on 0412 750 390 or visit the Thank You Tingha Fire Fighters Facebook page.