Family day to boost emergency preparedness on the North Shore

RESIDENTS and visitors to the North Shore of Port Macquarie are invited to a free Get Ready for Emergencies Family Fun Day on Sunday, 19 April, to help the community better prepare for floods, storms, bushfires, and periods of isolation during ferry outages.

The event will run from 10am to 1pm at Kangaroo Park, directly opposite the Settlement Point Ferry, and is a joint initiative of the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), Marine Rescue, NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), and the Northside Progress Association (NSPA), with support from partner agencies.

NSW SES Port Macquarie Unit Commander Katie Blake said, “The North Shore faces unique challenges during severe weather and ferry outages.

“This event is about giving residents the knowledge, confidence, and connections they need to stay safe.”

Designed for both new and long-term residents, the day will combine practical workshops, hands-on demonstrations, and family-friendly activities to build local resilience and strengthen community networks.

The Family Fun Day will help residents understand local hazards, develop personalised evacuation plans, learn when to evacuate, identify trigger points for action, share knowledge between neighbours, emergency services, and community groups, and improve practical skills through demonstrations such as sandbagging and gutter cleaning. There will be a range of interactive workshops and demonstrations on the day, including home emergency kit building; flood mapping and inundation information; sandbagging demonstrations; gutter cleaning and seasonal property preparation; emergency information apps and communication tools; and a display of community response and recovery equipment.

The day will also feature a range of fun activities for children, including face painting, SES and RFS trucks, Marine Rescue and SES rescue boats, colouring competitions, treasure hunts, and preparedness challenges.