Disaster recovery is rewarding work. Be it flood, bushfire, cyclone or pandemic, Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) is here to help. With our army of dedicated volunteers, we respond to disasters and deliver support to those in need.
DRA brings hope to communities devastated by disaster. We unite the skills and experience of military veterans, emergency responders and motivated civilians to deploy Disaster Relief Teams around Australia and the world. We help people during some of their worst days.
Volunteers are the cornerstone of Disaster Relief Australia’s operations. With more than 3,000 members nationwide, our veteran-led tribe serves communities before, during and after natural disasters strike to strengthen resilience and deliver much needed relief and recovery services.
News and stories are the heartbeat of our mission. Discover the inspiring narratives of our dedicated volunteers and resilient communities we stand by. These stories vividly depict the impact of our work, showcase the power of compassion and unity and remind us that we can make a difference together.
Deploying with DRA and supporting disaster affected communities is rewarding beyond measure. Through volunteering, corporate partnerships, financial donations or working with us, there are many ways to make a positive contribution and become a force for good.
There are many ways to make a positive contribution and bring hope to others. As a not-for-profit community cause, Disaster Relief Australia exists through the combined generosity of volunteers, donors, corporate partners and fundraisers.
I joined DRA after the floods in NSW. I saw on LinkedIn what DRA was doing after the immediate fanfare and the media had left. I found the cleanup and how DRA aids in that recovery process really interesting. Seeing the little snapshots of what’s happening and what’s really going on motivated me.
You don’t realise, or you forget, that there’s still a lot of people out there doing really good work, doing the hard work. There are people there just to help in long-term recovery. I thought it was really amazing that DRA were still out there when the spotlight’s gone. That’s a true sign of giving these people the help they really need.
This is my first operation and it’s been fantastic! The hospitality has been second to none and I’ve got to say, it’s not what I expected at all. I thought it would be camp beds or blankets on the floor, everyone lining up for dinner – that type of camp feel, which is fine, I was prepared for that. I guess what drove that thought was the military aspect, which really interested me. But to come here and see how it’s been organised is great.
I’m in construction but I’ve now learned new skills and used tools I’ve never come across in my life. I’ve seen brush cutters and chain saws. It’s been amazing, to be honest.
I’ve been moved by witnessing the impact on owners, 18 months after the disaster has taken place. It’s been a hell of a long ride for them financially, emotionally and God knows what else. To actually see that in the flesh is pretty confronting but at the same time, super important and super rewarding.
Everyone’s been really nice to me, it’s been awesome. It’s great to see people of varying ages just really getting stuck in, I mean really stuck in, not shying away from crappy jobs. Everyone helping each other just do what they can, that’s just great. The highlight for me has been the cathartic aspect of seeing these people in their natural environment, how resilient they are, how resourceful. This is what the media should be focusing on. This is the real stuff.
Yesterday we cleared some grass and black wattle from between posts along a fence line so the homeowner can put her fence back up. She was overwhelmed at the fact we had done that for her. These people don’t want handouts, they just want a bit of a hand and DRA giving that little bit of help is just huge.
If you want to see the real effect, you can have on people’s lives become a member of DRA because it’s that true experience. This is where it’s at, where you can affect the most change.
I have lived in the area for over 40 years on and off. I moved to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and lived there for nine years before coming back here. It’s our family farm of 200 acres.
We, my son and daughter-in-law, left for town two days before the fire came through here and came back daily to feed the animals. I used to run cattle until this happened, but now that’s all finished. I lost eight and had to sell the rest, about 20, because I had no fences left to keep them in.
How the fire didn’t take the house, I don’t know. My dad was really old and I had a ramp built for his walker so he could get inside easily, and the fire burnt the ramp, right up to the door. I reckon he was watching over us.
The work DRA has done today is just, wow! Clearing the fence line and chainsawing the trees for me. My son is a carpenter and works long hours and has been trying to chip away at it, bit by bit on weekends but it’s such a big job to do. He doesn’t know you guys are here today so he’s going to be so surprised when he comes home and sees how much work you’ve done for us. So many other organisations have said they’ll come out and help and they just never turn up or they say “you didn’t lose your house or shed, we can’t help you”.
After 18 months, the wildlife is just starting to come back – a few wallabies, a wombat under the house and kangaroos that come right up on the lawn that I throw vegetable scraps out to.
Thank you for the work you people do, it’s just wonderful. Now we can put a fence at the front of the property again.
One of our biggest concerns, when the bushfires were coming, were our cattle. We wanted them to be safe, and despite everything, they all survived. No burnt hooves, none needed to be put down. The rest of the property didn’t fare so well. Our house narrowly survived but we lost many trees and outbuildings including our performing arts studio which was integral to who we are.
We lived much of our early lives in the city, working in academia, lecturing at Universities and working in the spheres of contemporary art. After moving to the country and owning livestock our perspectives on life changed. Owning cows changed our lives, which is an interesting thing to say but it is true. To be enmeshed in the environment brings you a much closer connection to the land and owning cattle is a learning experience, they have personalities and social structure and are quite intelligent animals.
Recovering from the bushfire has been a long journey. Every day you look out and there is so much more to do. Our studio used to support postgraduate students with their thesis production and after its destruction, we have lost many of those connections and feel quite isolated.
Having DRA come out with 11 people was fantastic. It was incredibly therapeutic to be able to work alongside the teams, they have motivated us to action and given us some momentum to keep going with our restoration work.
Having the team come back a second time to surprise us by organising to clean and tidy up the cemetery is humbling, we weren’t expecting it at all. I was dismayed when we walked through and saw how bad the undergrowth was, it is normally such a well cared for place. It is gratifying to see it looking so much better. Thank you DRA.
It was all a bit surreal when the fires came through. It may have been 18 months ago but the feelings are all still there and quite upsetting. I remember that when I drove out of here with a few things in my caravan I didn’t realise how close it was, or how serious the fire was or else I would have taken other precious items.
I lost absolutely everything in the fires. The house, gardens, sheds, everything that I have been trying to leave as a legacy for my grandkids was just gone. I have been in this area for 45 years and in one day had nothing left to show for it. I had no idea what to do next or how I was going to achieve it.
The kindness of strangers, the community coming together, the groups that have come out to help me have assisted me to start working through all the tasks that need to be done, and helping me to start healing as a person over the last 18 months. I can’t say thank you enough to everyone that has come out to help me, including DRA. It means so much that now those dead trees have been cut down I don’t have to look out the window every day and look at their dead, burnt trunks and be reminded of the fire every time I look up. Or look at them, wondering if they are going to fall.
As I am rebuilding the house and gardens, I feel like every person that has come to see me and helped me to rebuild is now a part of my life forever. This is my home, but I don’t feel that it is just mine, because you have all come out and left a little imprint of yourselves here too.
I am 75 and had a knee replacement last year. I live here with my mother who is 96, but she will tell you she is 96 and three quarters as it is her birthday in July! My family, which included me and my two brothers, bought the property and we have lived here for 47 years.
I was a teacher for 36 years and I taught at Batemans Bay Primary School. I have been involved with special needs kids and at the moment I volunteer with the Moruya Historical Society. I help people research their properties and family history. I also did this for myself but I lost it all in the fires. Some people are sending me stuff that I had sent them to try and help me fill in the gaps but the photos are the main things that we have lost.
We had a Hereford Stud here originally and when my father died, I continued on with the help of my mother. Later we stopped using it as a stud but still sold cattle. At the time when the fires came through it was more of a hobby farm by then as it was too much for mum and I to look after. We enjoyed that and so did the kids and great grandkids.
When the fires were coming we could see the smoke in the distance. We started watering the house. We’ve got two water tanks and we had three lots of pumps. My brother and nephews came over to help us. Around 6am I got a phone call with a siren saying ‘get out, get out, head east, there’s no other way out’. So I packed mum into the car and grabbed some washing off the line. We also had some prescriptions and things like that ready at the front door ready to go. We had survived the fires in 1994 and thought the house would be safe this time. We thought we would come home to it but we didn’t.
During the fires we lost half the herd to the fires and the rest that were rounded up had to be put down. The ones that we had left were looked after by our neighbours, even though they lost part of their property. Rotary paid for the feed for them. Someone then offered to buy up what cattle we had left and we said yes. That little money we got definitely helped. I don’t think we will go back to that, but once we get the fence up, we will agist. In the past, we have agisted horses and we have already had a couple of people inquiring about this.
As our property borders Forestry Crown Land and the road, we received money from the Government for the fencing. They paid for the wire and the posts and we have to provide the rest. They have worked out we have 6.4km of fencing. We will do the fencing ourselves but we need someone to put the posts in, that’s what is being done now. So by DRA doing a good job and clearing along the fence line, that is something that we don’t have to do.
Mum and I have been living in Catalina with my brother and sister in law until their house was finished. They got a good start on theirs. The Insurance Company is paying our rent and the landlord is fantastic, we can stay as long as we like.
The frame is up on the new house and they are starting the roof today so it should be finished in time for mum’s 97th Birthday. Mum actually designed the new house. We used to travel a lot around Australia, fishing and collecting fossils and rocks (which all just explode in the fire anyway). We’ve got good memories, no photos but we have the memories. After the fires I thought I’d found a beautiful crystal that I had up in the gazebo but when I tried to pick it up it just shattered in my hand. The only thing that was left was a piece of tinsel and a rubber mat.
During our travels mum had seen lots of Colonial Houses and she really liked them so that is how she designed our house. An Architect friend has done all the work and the house will be level now with wider doors which will make it easier for mum. The house won’t be as big as it originally was as all the family are now married and have kids. Mum loves walking and only uses a stick when she is outside. We love walking on the beach and collecting shells and anything for the granddaughter and great grandchildren. We’ve always been collectors.
I found out about DRA through a Council Bushfire Recovery Newsletter that comes once a month. I rang the Council and when I registered they said I was number 141 and that it would take a few months before someone contacted us. One week later DRA came out to see us.
DRA has been fantastic. You can see the amount of clearing that’s gone on. It just got out of hand with all the rain we had. So they have done a great job of clearing and cutting down trees and clearing along the fence line, ready for us to put fences in. They have also helped us by moving a lot of pots and other things that we couldn’t do. It has saved us a lot of time and money and there is now light at the end of the tunnel.
Joining us on Operation Corkhill were Bec, Tegan and Smantha from Keno!
BEC FARRELL – I have been working with KENO for 4 years and I’m in the Port Macquarie Region. This is my second time working with DRA. In 2019 just after the bushfires I went to Willawarrin and that was a real eye opener. Over the last couple of days we have been cutting down lots of logs and clearing the area. It was so admirable to see so many Australians, just get out there and give up their time. It’s just amazing and you go away feeling very rewarded. Volunteering with DRA is very rewarding. The Australian Spirit!
TEGAN BAKER – I have been with KENO for 3 years and I cover the South Coast of NSW. This is my first deployment with DRA and it’s definitely been the experience of a lifetime. We have become bush cutting pros! We have become skilled at machinery that we will take with us forever…that’s for sure. It’s been really good to give back to local Communities who have been suffering hard after these bushfires. Even 12 months on, it’s just really hard to see how much they are dragging behind after the rest of the World has moved on, so it’s just nice to give back a little bit. What would I say to someone thinking of joining DRA? Do it! The sweat, the heat – it’s all worth it. You just feel good for yourself and them, by coming here and giving back.
SAMANTHA WALSH – I have been with KENO for 3 years and work in the Sydney Office. This has been my first time working with DRA and despite all the spiders on us it’s been great! Highlights of Op – these people have lost their livelihoods and you don’t realise that until you get out here. We spoke to the lady who lives here and she had lost photos from the 1800’s of her family tree and you can’t ever get that back, but being able to come here and help her means everything. Would I encourage others to join DRA? Absolutely do it. It’s so rewarding for yourself and for the people you help.
I started my Military career in the Navy as a Marine Technician. The trade I got was a Fitter Machinist and Boilermaker Qualifications. I did that for 6 years and worked on minor fleet, patrol boat and landing craft. I then did a bit of a stint on ‘waries’, bigger, combat oriented platforms. I then discharged and went into the Reserve Navy.
In the meantime, I became a Prison Officer as my primary role. I then went to the RFS as an Operations Officer. I am now the Operations Training Officer at the Dubbo Training Academy. I have been there for four years and during this time I was involved in remote firefighting, and search and rescue coordination. I also studied Emergency Management and Emergency Management Leadership skills at Uni. This is where I first heard about the role of NGO’s. I wanted to find out more about what DRA did so I researched online and made some calls. I found out that a few of my ex-defence community had joined DRA.
I had always been a Government worker. I had learnt Emergency Management and the skills of preparedness, response and recovery and I realised there was a gap in there. I knew that my skills and qualifications could work in DRA so I gave it a go. What I didn’t realise was that being in DRA was ‘like coming home’. As a defence member, when you leave, you lose a bit of that family, that understanding that civilians or the rest of the community don’t understand. Some of the returned services type arrangements treat you like you are broken.
What I like about DRA is that you are not treated like you are broken. We are here, we do a job, we do an awesome job, we support each other. We work with civilians, first responders, everyone!
I get really excited when I get picked for an Operation. I know my wave, I start contacting people who I know and we keep in contact. We work hard, play hard and we have a ball. I go home happy because I’ve helped the community which is a good thing. I’m continuing to use my Emergency Management skills and training in the recovery space and I get to come and ‘play with some mates’.
During this Operation my role has been as Strike Team Leader and I find my skills are utilised well here. My role is getting briefs and giving briefs and making sure everyone in the Team and otherwise is safe. I also have a role in speaking to the landowners and other people outside DRA that we are exposed to and that we come across during our time driving around. I really enjoy that because I can talk and I really enjoy that interaction, that community engagement type role is something I can do and I feel safe and secure in doing that.
I’ve had some really good experiences with DRA. One that comes to mind is on the last wave, a lady was very negative to the RFS as she felt that they had left her. Initially she was reluctant to talk to us and our initial conversation wasn’t very friendly. I listened to her and we spoke at length. Her husband who is in his 70’s and was an ex-navy navigator and during the fires his shirt had actually caught fire and she thought he was going to die. They actually lost everything except their house. She felt that they had been left behind by the Government. I was able to share some of my experiences working with the RFS. By the end we were having lunch together and she was very happy.
Three Strike Teams went to the house and there were about 15 of us working hard and cutting down lots of tall trees. These people are out in the middle of no-where, but we were able to get there and help. The lady was so happy at what we had done and her experience with DRA, that she actually wrote an email to the Command at Canberra. That was a very proud moment for myself and the team. It’s about community helping the community. We can get out there and we can make a difference. That’s why most people get involved in a service lifestyle, whether it’s the Military or First Responders it;s because they like to serve. They do stuff that most people don’t like to do and DRA is just a follow on from that. Then there’s the mateship and the laughs.
If someone was thinking of joining DRA I would encourage them to do so. If you’re apprehensive, don’t be. Get in there, have a chat and find out what we’re about. Whether you’re a veteran or a first responder or even a community member who’s struggling, get out there, get amongst us. We are here to help. We will talk to you, have a joke with you, but that’s because we like you, we’re here to help. I’ve been in some other volunteer organisations and it’s all about whose chest is bigger. DRA is not like that. We are here to get a job done but we also have fun. Word of warning, you will get sweaty and dirty but that’s all part of the fun. It’s really great to be a part of the DRA family.
My father bought the Malula Bay property in 1976. He was in the Austrian Navy but has since passed. He was brought up in Pula which is a seafront city on the tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninusla.
In 1979, my father planted several pine trees along the driveway to the house. He thought they would be great to climb on. During the fires, these trees were burnt out. I was hoping that they would recover, but sadly that wasn’t the case. Today the DRA team had to remove all ten of them.
I was married but am since separated. I have five adult children and one grandchild. I live alone on my property.
In February last year. I was at home listening to the ABC news updates of the fire. I got the message to evacuate and went across the road where I could take refuge on a small island. After the fire had burned through a couple of hours later, I came back to discover I had lost everything. My home, machinery, car, motorbike and my daughter’s car. I’m not insured.
I stayed in a Cabin at Batemans Bay for a couple of days and then slept on some Church pews. I was lucky to get spiritual support from the local Church. They have really encouraged me to ‘hang in there’. I’m now living in a shed on the property.
I was so sad when the fires took away a Wallaby that used to come drink at a water hole on my property. The black cockatoos that used to eat the pine cones from my pine trees have not returned either. I feel a bit more hopeful now. I’ve seen a new species of eel in the watering hole, there are new plants growing and two large sea eagles have come back to the dead trees. I’ve been feeding cheap eggs to a goanna.
I first found out about DRA through the Disaster Relief Centre at the Eurobodalla Council. After DRA has been able to cut down the dead trees, I think I can now move on and start trying to get the property back to the way it was before.
I wasn’t sure about DRA when they first approached me, but now I realise it’s been good to share my story.
My name is David Nicolson or better known as “Nico”. This is my first deployment after joining DRA only 6 weeks ago. I live in Canberra with my partner, Amber, and have 5 dogs! (2 x Border Collies, 1 x Kelpie, 1 x Ridgeback and 1 x Shar Pei Pitbull)
When I was younger I wanted to join the military and my mate convinced me to try the Navy. I thought I would try it for 4 years and then maybe join the army. I had a good time on the patrol boats but after 4.5 years made the switch to the army for another 8 years. I served as a Trooper with B Squadron 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment, within the 3rd Brigade in Townsville Queensland.
I loved everything about the military, especially the mateship and friendships during deployments and field exercises. My plan was for it to be my career for life. In Afghanistan I worked in the lead vehicle which always had an explosives detection dog (EDD) as part of the team. One of those dogs called “Flojo” had a very special place in my life and she features as one of nine tattoos on my right arm. My tattoos are a tribute to some painful and also joyful experiences. The Soldiers’ Cross and the Ace of Spades tattoos represent loss and luck, while the words “Mirabad Valley” are where most of my service happened. My tattoos have been featured in a special photographic history at the Australian Museum.
I was injured by multiple improvised explosive device explosions and despite many requests and reports was forced to resign my service in early 2018 as a result of my injuries. This was a tough time but I kept a positive attitude. It’s really important not to hide behind a mask.You can fall into a dark hole and think there’s no way out. When you get so deep it will not only affect you, but your love life, family and friends too.
The hardest part of PTSD isn’t how you got it, or even how you try to hide it – it’s when you ask for help. Asking for help is scary. You may feel weak – but trust me when I say, take the mask off, ask for help, speak to your loved ones and family about it and prepare for the weight to be lifted off your shoulders. If you reach out, you’ll find your brothers and sisters are there for you.
When I left the army I wanted to work with animals and found a job at the Canberra Zoo before my current job working as a dog handler with a company known as K9 Culture. I still knew that there was something big missing in my life and actually felt a bit “lost”. When I was in Townsville we had always helped out with the cyclones and I was really missing that feeling of doing something as a team with the community.
I had heard about DRA a few years ago but didn’t follow it through, and just a few months ago I saw a post on Instagram and investigated further. I rang and pestered the team to tell me everything I needed to know to join and start as soon as possible! That was 6 weeks ago and here I am at Operation Corkhill on my first deployment!
In just a few days I’m back working side by side with other military and ex military and emergency services men and women. It feels similar and familiar. I’m already interested in exploring some things I can do with DRA. I like being on the tools but I also want to find out more about the IMT roles. Although I’ve never met any of the people that I’ve deployed with, we’re already feeling like old friends!
I know lots of other ex military people who would fit into this group and I’m going to make sure I tell them about DRA. If you’re the type who wants to volunteer then you’re the type who wants to work and help others. I already feel that I belong to a great group of people that just want to get it done!
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My father bought the Malula Bay property in 1976. He was in the Austrian Navy but has since passed. He was brought up in Pula which is a seafront city on the tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninusla.
