Community learning through adversity and disaster: An Australian case study of rural adaptation and resilience beyond paid work

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet

Examines how community involvement shapes adult learning and the development of resilience in the context of disaster, using a qualitative case study of the small rural Australian community of “Bellbird”. Over the decade, Bellbird faced the Millennial Drought, a March 2013 bushfire, and the COVID-19 epidemic. Interviews conducted in late 2019 and early 2020 involved members and partners of the “Bellbird Men’s Shed”, which was later shut during COVID-19 lockdowns. The study shows that bottom-up community agency can enable lifelong learning and wellbeing when formal top-down approaches are sometimes impossible or inappropriate.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction to Bellbird

Literature review

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 60, Number 3, November 2020 Community learning through adversity and disaster: An Australian case study of rural adaptation and resilience beyond paid work Barry Golding Annette Foley Helen Weadon Federation University Australia ‘The things that change the world, according to Chaos theory, are the tiny things. A butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian jungle, and subsequently a storm ravages half of Europe.’ Pratchett & Gaiman (1990) Our paper uses a qualitative, case study approach to critically examine the role of community involvement in learning to adapt and develop resilience in the face of disaster. Within a decade, the already disadvantaged, small, Australian rural community of‘Bellbird’faced three catastrophic, human induced disasters: the Millennial Drought (1996 to 2010), a March 2013 bushfire and the COVID-19 epidemic of 2020. Our interviews were conducted during late 2019 and early 2020 with men and women shedders as well as their significant others in the usually vibrant and unusually gender inclusive ‘Bellbird Men’s Shed’. For at least six months following the interviews, the Bellbird Men’s Shed was shut as a consequence of the COVID-19 lockdowns. 516 Barry Golding, Annette Foley & Helen Weadon We opportunistically reflect on the data from our interviews and emerging literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to critically interrogate the role local community learning plays in responding to and developing resilience in the face of locally experienced global disasters. We conclude that Bellbird is a good example of a small, rural community where formal, top down decision making approaches to adult and community education in 2020 in Australia are sometimes impossible or inappropriate. Bellbird in effect exercised agency to create its unique, place and needs-based form of lifelong and lifewide learning ‘bottom up’ at its atypical community Men’s Shed. The practices and commitments the Shed adopted have provided the community with opportunities for developing personal and collective wellbeing and the necessary resilience for adapting to likely future shocks. Key Words: adaptation, resilience, learning, disaster, Men’s shed, agency, COVID-19 Introduction to Bellbird “I've seen fire and I've seen rain, I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end, I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend. ButI always thought that I'd see you again.” James Taylor (1970)‘Fire and Rain’. The first disaster to affect the small Australian rural community of‘Bellbird’(population 500) was the Millennial Drought (1996 to 2010) . The drought was extensive, unprecedented and national in extent. A subsequent bushfire roared through the district on the 28th March 2013, unanticipated in its seasonal lateness and devastating in its impact. Before 2013, the township had no internet or mobile phone reception, no place to gather, no local shops and services and a languishing menonly Men’s Shed. The post 2013 Bellbird Men’s Shed literally ‘sprang from the ashes’ as part of the post-bushfire reconstruction of the town, with women as unusually equal Shed participants. The third ongoing disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in Australia during March 2020. Within six months it had become global in extent, with a death toll exceeding one million people by late Community learning through adversity and disaster 517 September 2020. Immediately following our interviews in early 2020, the Bellbird Men’s Shed was shut as a consequence of the virus’s rapid community transmission and potentially deadly impact on older or health compromised adults. In September 2020, we opportunistically and critically reflected on the data from our interviews, drawing onemerging literature about the international impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Literature review Walker, Holling et al. (2004), used the term ‘resilience’ to refer to the capacity of a socioecological system

FAQs

What disasters affected Bellbird during the study period?

Bellbird faced the Millennial Drought (1996–2010), a bushfire in March 2013, and the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, each creating major disruption to the community.

How was learning and resilience explored in the paper?

The paper uses a qualitative qualitative case study approach to critically examine how community involvement supports adaptation and resilience, drawing on interviews and emerging COVID-19 impact literature.

Why did the Bellbird Men’s Shed close in 2020?

It was shut for at least six months following the interviews as a consequence of COVID-19 lockdowns and the virus’s rapid community transmission, with particular risk to older or health-compromised adults.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet