With Disaster Relief Australia, your dollar does double time. Not only are you able to help communities devastated by disaster, you are also supporting Australian Veterans find purpose through service.
Disasters are our business
Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) unites the skills and experiences of Australian Defence Force veterans, emergency responders and civilians to rapidly deploy disaster relief teams domestically and around the globe.
Proud to currently maintain a roster of thousands of volunteers able to rapidly deploy throughout Australia and the Pacific Rim.
Integrating into existing emergency management arrangements where possible. Disaster Relief Australia can operate independently or as part of an integrated taskforce.
DRA provides Incident Management, damage and impact assessment, aerial damage assessment and mapping, work order management, spontaneous volunteer management, debris management & restoring access, expedient home repair and resilience & capacity building.
Veterans are our passion
Led by Veterans, Disaster Relief Australia seeks to change the narrative around the Australian veteran.
DRA improves veterans’ wellbeing by providing them the opportunity to continue to serve communities devastated by natural disaster. In doing so, they are able to regain a sense of purpose and identity not found since their military service. DRA recognises that veterans hold a unique and valuable skill set. Australian veterans are a national asset, and DRA seeks to showcase that to the world.
Our story
Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) was launched in 2016.
In April 2017, DRA launched its first disaster relief operation to Proserpine in Far North Queensland in response to the devastation wrought by Tropical Cyclone Debbie.
This operation, dubbed Operation Dunlop, after WWII Surgeon Sir Ernest Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop, saw DRA deployed to the hard-hit town of Proserpine in North Queensland. For over three weeks 62 volunteers worked tirelessly to help the greater Proserpine community recover from the disaster.
Just as importantly, we proved that the skills and experience of military veterans are ideally suited to this type of work.
Disaster Relief Australia
Disaster Relief Australia has been steadily been gaining traction since its inaugural mission in Proserpine in 2017.
Our vision is to integrate veterans and emergency services volunteers to build Disaster Relief Australia Teams across Australia, serving local communities before, during and after natural disasters.
Our next chapter
We currently have Disaster Relief Teams (DRT’s) in North Queensland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. Our expansion plans over the next four years include DRT’s in Lismore, Penrith, Gosford, Hobart and Darwin.
We bring a capability to the field not yet seen in this region, and provide an opportunity to Australian Veterans that is much needed and long overdue. Our next chapter will be an exciting one.
Deployments
2021 Speaker Series – Daryll Ainsworth
Please join us on 29th July 2021 @ 7pm AEST, for the first Disaster Relief Australia guest speaker series for this...
Lieutenant Colonel William Donovan Joynt | The story behind the name
Operation Joynt is named for Melbourne born William Donovan Joynt. For his ‘most conspicuous bravery’ he won the Victoria Cross.
Melbourne Volunteers Out of Lockdown to Aid Devastated Dandenong
Following a wave of destruction left by a storm front across the state of Victoria, both regional and metropolitan...