Service Project Latrobe on hold due to VIC lockdown
Due to the recent COVID-19 complications in Melbourne, we need to put Service Project Latrobe Legacy on hold while parts of Victoria enter a 5-day lockdown. Our Melbourne DRT has already been working closely with the local community conducting Damage Assessments and...
Disaster Relief Australia ramps up to bring urgent recovery to bushfire survivors in Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and East Gippsland
Disaster Relief Australia, (DRA) is launching our first major operation for 2021, returning to bring urgent recovery to 2019/20 Black Summer bushfire survivors in Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and East Gippsland.
DRA returns to Adelaide Hills for Black Summer bushfire recovery
Disaster Relief Australia is launching a Service Project in the Cudlee Creek bushfire area to continue assisting with bushfire relief and recovery from the Black Summer 2019/2020 bushfires. In 2019/2020 DRA completed 7 domestic operations, 1 international operation,...
Baz Reflection Operation Dexter
Baz joined TRA in 2018, with his first deployment being Operation McLeod in late 2018/early 2019. Six deployments later he is back in that same community as part of Operation Dexter as we continue our recovery efforts within the Rosedale community and surrounds. 20...
Operation Mason on hold due to SA lockdown
2020 continues to throw curveballs our way. With the six-day lockdown now in effect in South Australia we unfortunately will have to postpone our upcoming Black Summer bushfire relief and recovery efforts in the Adelaide Hills as part of Operation Mason. We will look...Recent News
Disaster Relief Australia, a veteran-led disaster relief organisation, is collaborating with Minderoo Foundation’s Fire and Flood Resilience initiative to increase the deployment of volunteers to more operations in fire-affected parts of Australia as part of a $2.4 million dollar partnership established during the Black Summer bushfires. This collaboration has already seen more than 2,000 specialist volunteers deployed by Minderoo Fire Fund in 2019/2020, to work on the ground with Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) volunteers, in Cobargo, NSW and in the Adelaide Hills, SA. Minderoo Foundation CEO Andrew Hagger, and Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) CEO Geoff Evans have announced a collaboration that will ensure disaster affected communities are matched with skilled and experienced volunteers to help them rebuild. DRA and the Minderoo Fire and Flood Resilience Fund have now also stepped up in preparation to help with recovery efforts for the Perth Hills Bushfire. Together with partners, and building on our joint experience with the Black Summer Bushfires around Australia, DRA will be managing a database of specialist volunteers who will be deployed to areas that have been identified as needing assistance. These volunteers will include Fortescue and Western Force employees, as well as Minderoo Foundation staff who will be helping coordinate logistics and communications with affected residents. As part of this new initiative, DRA is coordinating deployment and providing on the ground support for recovery efforts, and the Minderoo Fire and Flood Resilience Fund is meeting travel and accommodation costs for volunteers. This new collaboration ensures fire-affected communities are matched with skilled and experienced volunteers, to help them rebuild and recover from what has been the most devastating fire season in Australian history. Disaster Relief Australia boasts a 2,000-strong, highly skilled veteran volunteer force combined with emergency service specialists to help communities stabilise and recover after a devastating natural disaster. The addition of Minderoo Fire and Flood Resilience volunteers to this pool allows a new level of response to emerging natural disasters. DRA CEO, Geoff Evans said “This partnership with Minderoo Foundation provides a significant boost to our on-the-ground resources. Bushfire recovery is a marathon, not a sprint, our disaster relief team bolstered by Minderoo Foundation volunteers will deploy once our mission planning is completed. We won’t give up until the job is done.” Lee Goddard, Partner Ecosystem and Ground Operations Leader Minderoo Foundation Fire and Flood Resilience says of the collaboration “We are proud to be partnering with Disaster Relief Australia to significantly boost on the ground resources to assist with community recovery. Our experience since the Black Summer bushfires has involved listening to people in communities and understanding their needs, as well as monitoring and assessing where we are best placed to help so that well co-ordinated teams of volunteers can be sent in to help and fast track recovery. It is fantastic to see our fellow Australians assist others in times of need made possible through this partnership.” About Disaster Relief Australia Disaster Relief Australia unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams in Australia and around the world. Disaster Relief Australia is a not for profit organisation offering veterans a chance to continue their service by helping and empowering those afflicted by disasters, and also themselves. Programs and services are made possible by the support of individual donors, corporate partners, and the dedication of volunteers across the country. About Minderoo Foundation’s Fire and Flood Resilience initiative In the aftermath of the Black Summer fires, Minderoo Foundation committed AU$70 million to establish the Fire and Flood Resilience initiative. Minderoo Foundation’s Fire and Flood Resilience initiative aims to reduce harm caused by fire and floods by harnessing the collective power of communities, industry, government, philanthropy and the research sector to lift Australia to be the global leader in fire and flood resilience by 2025. It is working with more than 60 partners to lift national resilience by delivering on the Fire and Flood Resilience Blueprint which outlines the following missions: Fire Shield: to reduce the scale and impact of bushfires by developing the capability to extinguish dangerous fires within an hour by 2025. Resilient Communities: to lift Australia’s 50 most vulnerable communities to be on par with Australia’s 50 most resilient communities by 2025. Healthy Landscapes: to halve hazard exposure in Australia’s 50 most fire and flood prone regions by 2025.
Due to the recent COVID-19 complications in Melbourne, we need to put Service Project Latrobe Legacy on hold while parts of Victoria enter a 5-day lockdown. Our Melbourne DRT has already been working closely with the local community conducting Damage Assessments and setting up operations in preparation for the work that needs to be completed following the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires season, and we will return as soon as possible to pick up where we left off. Our work as part of Service Project Latrobe Legacy will recommence as the situation becomes viable. We will keep the community and our members updated as circumstances unfold.
Disaster Relief Australia, (DRA) is launching our first major operation for 2021, returning to bring urgent recovery to 2019/20 Black Summer bushfire survivors in Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and East Gippsland.
The 2019-20 Australian bushfire season, also known as Black Summer, saw an extended period of multiple large-scale and intense fires. Australia’s Black Summer megafires were a severe blow, with hundreds of homes lost, millions of hectares of lands burned and parts of the ecosystem destroyed.