A compelling insight to the recovery of Grantham’s flood-affected community has earnt Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Communication graduate Ms Miranda Grant a nomination for a prestigious Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award.

 

An ABC Open producer based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Ms Grant filmed the online report titled, What’s keeping you going, Grantham?  as part of a project focusing on communities at different stages of recovery.

 

“The ABC Open ‘Aftermath’ project is an exploration of the recovery process for people affected by natural disasters,” Ms Grant said. “The nation-wide project features the stories of different communities who are at different stages of their recovery. ‘Aftermath’ is a way to connect them.

 

“Over the period of a year, I have been following individuals in their recovery, including the service station owner in Grantham.”

 

In January 2011, Grantham was severely damaged in a flash flood with houses washed away and lives lost. More than 50 families lost their homes, with more requiring significant assistance from the government and charities.

 

“What’s keeping you going, Grantham? was recorded at the re-opening of the Grantham service station. It was an important milestone for the people of the small town. The re-opening event was also a chance for me to connect with the community.”

 

Ms Grant asked community members to answer the question: “What’s been keeping you going?” and write their response on a chalkboard. She then photographed each answer and interviewed the participants, asking them to explain their message further.

 

“I had used the chalkboard idea before and found it was a great way to interact with people so I employed it again for this story.”

 

The Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year Award nominees have been shortlisted from more than 100 entries with the finalists representing the best of a new generation of journalists in the television, online, radio, photography and print categories. Ms Grant has been nominated as a finalist in the online category.

 

“The Walkley awards usually commend structured journalism but the Online category is a bit of a chameleon category,” Ms Grant said. “It isn’t as structured and it suits the type of stories ABC Open publish.

 

“When I found out I was nominated I was super excited. The Aftermath stories are so personal and some flood-affected people still in a really vulnerable position. I was thrilled to share the news with them. It feels like we’ve all been nominated.”

 

“The Lockyer Valley floods were such a big story. And Aftermath is a continuation of the story, bringing to life the personal, human experience in a refreshing way. It’s more about the recovery than the disaster and as a journalist I feel privileged to have been part of that recovery process.”

 

Ms Grant believes she is an enviable position as a producer for ABC Open.

 

“The unique thing about ABC Open is that, unlike journalists who have a deadline, we are able to spend time building a relationship with the community. We still have deliverables but we can invest our time and knowledge with the people and engage them directly in the production process in order to capture their story.”  

 

Ms Grant studied a Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media)  at CSU and believes her degree has attributed to her success.

 

“Theatre/Media taught me how to be a storyteller, and gave me the skills to craft a story in a way that’s engaging, bringing it to life,” she said.

 

“I also learnt a great deal about community engagement and collaboration, a process which produces more intimate stories. I’ve been able to use these skills to help the people of Grantham recover and that’s pretty special.”