In January 2020, while Australia was still burning, Minderoo Foundation announced the Fire Fund initiative committing $70 million to Response, Recovery and Resilience. Our team was deployed into towns and regions affected by the bushfires to gain an understanding of what each community needed.

We met with people who had lost their homes, livestock, infrastructure and businesses and listened to their stories. The team were also briefed by aid workers, fire and other emergency services personnel and government at all levels. We are so grateful for all those who shared their stories and helped us understand their priorities, which became our priorities, one of which was sourcing temporary housing.

Our innovative team designed, developed and created a construction process for the deployment of the Fire Fund Recovery Pod to be used as temporary housing to help those who have lost their homes. The recovery pods are self-contained and equipped with a 2,300-litre water tank and 5 KVA generator. Internally, they have a toilet, shower, two bunk beds and a small open kitchen.

The idea for temporary accommodation was conceived on a pocket notepad at an emergency meeting at Kangaroo Island in January. The idea was born from listening to the community members express their desperate need to get back on to their land. The construction of the pods commenced in February 2020 from South Australian manufacturer Australian Portable Camps, based at Monarto.

As of August 2020, 182 pods had been delivered in 216 days to families in New South Wales and South Australia. Our commitment of A$3.7 million was supplemented by A$8.7 million from our partners which will enable 256 pods to be delivered in 259 days.