‘I was lecturing my entire community, writing letters, getting on the radio, you know –  Pull your fingers out, this is serious!’

American born Charlie Cohen talks with Anastasia Guise about ‘washing up’ on the Northern Rivers in the floods of ‘74, joining the Nimbin Rural Fire Brigade soon after, the unprecedented 2019/2020 season and his dismay at how complacent locals were being in the lead up to the fires, and his ideas for creating communities that are better equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters into the future.  

Interviewer and recordist, Anastasia Guise. Editor, Jarrah Dundler. Sound designer and mixer, Chris Wesely.