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 had been volunteering in the community after the bushfires with another organization. It was during a job that a property owner mentioned Disaster Relief Australia, about a huge tree coming down so the family could safely re-enter their property again. He told a story about a burning tree that had come down onto the chicken coop, all the other chickens perished but there was one chicken that survived and was sitting on some eggs, and you guys found it. A little piece of joy was charged. So, I went home, did a little bit of research to find out who you are and what you do, and here I am.
I’m ex-military and an ex-copper. I’ve never had a career to be rich. Something pulls you to it. Volunteering is the same. It’s that opportunity to give something back, to do something for the greater good.
For these community members, 6 months on, they’re just starting to rebuild structures. That’s the easy bit. But after we go you know; this is their life. It’s challenging. If people don’t get in lump in their throat…. It’s a case of put the sunglasses on. Taking down a tree or moving a pile of wood to a lot of people wouldn’t mean a thing, but these acts of service in recovery mean steps towards rebuilding communities and rebuilding people’s lives.
There is no single best part to volunteering with Disaster Relief Australia. The welcome that you are given, the way the team works without having to work at being a team and seeing the results. And seeing one less thing for the community member to do. It’s kind of all wrapped up into a happy package!
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.
A mate put me onto DRA, I have been looking for something different. I’m retired and spend a lot of time staying fit and traveling looking for something different. Now I have time to help other people. In the past I have been a bit selfish when I was always working and just doing things for myself. Now I have the time to get out there in the community and do something for others.
I have spent most of my life in Defence with 20 years in the RAAF and then 10 in the Department of Defence. This has been my first deployment with DRA.
Previously Ive helped farmers in Tassie on their farms, do fencing and clean up so being out the tools with DRA is very similar.
It makes you feel good at the end of the day to site with someone you’ve helped and have a tea. The look in their eyes always gets me. It’s the motivation that you given them to keep going.
Just to watch the change in people. When you feel that other people are prepared to help you for no reason other than to help. It’s not charity. It’s helping to make things good for people who need it.
This week I have been out there building a few fences, repairing fences, a lot of clearing on the river sides. I absolutely enjoy the work. I could do it 10 hours a day, seven days a week. I have cuts and bruises all over my body and I don’t care. This is great.
The people in DRA are amazing. The MC (mission commander) is really just one of us. You can approach anyone in the IMT and it doesn’t matter. Everybody’s the same when you are ripping grass off someone’s fence.
I like it out the tools, I like to sweat. I like to come back dirty. Knowing that you’ve made a difference.
Nick Backe-Hansen pictured centre as mission commander with wave 3 of Operation Elliot in NSW.
I first heard about DRA 3 years ago. Dean West and I worked together in the 5th/7th Battalion at Holsworthy in the 90’s. Opportunities for me at work had all but dried up and coincidentally I saw through Facebook that Westy was in the Virgin Islands, building a school in an area that had been devastated by some sort of disaster. Within 48 hours I had signed up to DRA.
Wave three Op Elliott is my 11th deployment and what makes me keep on coming back is connecting with like minded people, helping out those that are impacted by natural disasters and having the ability to make sure that the teams are having a good time and helping them achieve their goals.
My first few deployments were in the public relations role. Part of the role back then was to observe the psychological position of a resident to identify a potential mechanism of psychological assistance and referral. If I felt that one of our team needed support or someone to talk to, I would speak up and highlight the issue with the appropriate avenues. Being a PRO back then was a tough job, not in a physical sense but I was doing 18 hour days and you always had to be alert mentally, which can be draining.
I’ve come to really understand there exists a kind of nexus between us, as a small embedded team in a damaged area, and the community. There is a unique personal connection that we can bring to them as Blue Shirts that is more difficult for larger organisations to achieve.
After that I was offered the position of a Mission Commander (MC) on Operations and have stayed in that role since. I really like the MC role, it isn’t that I like being in charge or am power hungry, I don’t see the role that way. I just turn up and have a conversation, and people listen and follow me which is my way of getting things done.
Part of that is getting people to work with each other and get along together. I like to make sure that everyone has a good time, lots of laughter and that at all levels we can not only do the work, but walk away having enjoyed it at the same time.
Hopefully in five years time I will be doing the same thing within DRA, being out on Ops with the teams as MC. I like to think that people on my waves respond to my style of leadership, feeling relaxed, and I make sure everyone can feel included and laugh together.
I like to be the guy that people can count on, and to take them as far out of their pain that I can on their worst day. To be the person that when I turn up there is a feeling that everything is gonna be okay.
In these deployed environments our people are what it is all about. It is about them and their experiences, it isn’t about me.
In my normal life I work as a security consultant. I currently work for myself as a private contractor and cover all parts of security, mainly in sport. Prior to that I was in the Police Force.
I heard about DRA while I was working at Invictus Games. It seemed interesting so I looked a little more into it. I started off with a small service project at the wildlife park. Op Elliott is my first full wave deployment. It’s great, being here is everything that I thought it would be. Everything is well planned and the days are structured. Being around a completely different group of people is good, we all have our different quirks. DRA is good at is bringing everyone together and making them into a team. The system works.
Being here has made me realise a few things. One of them is the enormous ongoing impact that disasters have on the community, not only in a financial sense but an emotional and psychological perspective. To a community this is a huge life changing event.
In the middle of a disaster all the combat agencies are there, everything has happened, but afterwards there is a big gap. This Op has really highlighted the disjoint between the disaster to the actual recovery. Most people wouldn’t understand until it happens to them.
I really enjoyed this week – this is exactly what I signed up for. The goal was to get together with like-minded people to help other people when I can and I absolutely enjoyed it thoroughly. I like being on the tools. That’s where my forte is. I really enjoy going out with the strike teams and to feel like I am helping in the community.
I joined the army in 1996 as a medic. After completing 11 years of service, I moved onto the NSW fire brigade and have been a part of the team for 14 years. With both my work in emergency services and serving Australia, I felt that there was something missing. In 2018, I joined DRA and completed the Core Ops Course and was then thrown into my position as logistics officer with the New South Wales DRT.
I enjoy giving back to the community and hanging out with my dog. The feeling of being able to help somebody and making their worst day that little bit better is what I live for.
I love doing this. It is a part of my life that I didn’t know I needed until now.
This experience has shown me that I can do even more than I really thought I could. Being a logistics officer, I initially felt way out of my depth and pursuing it has shown me that yes, it is stressful at times, but I can actually do it.
That gave me a lot of belief within myself that I can do whatever I put my mind to.
I have been on many deployments and interacted with various members of my DRT. The interactions with them and the community showed me how like-minded some of the people around here are. The connections I have made with these people has been amazing.
Since becoming the DRT manager of the NSW DRT, I have worked with and met various characters and a whole range of incredible individuals. I know on every operation or project I have worked on, the team around me are here for the right reasons.
You are putting your heart and soul into the work, and it is time away from your family which can be hard.
You’re usually on some sort of hard stretcher, next to people who snore, and you are eating what you are given instead of what you want.
Working with DRA is a sense of purpose. It’s that sense of purpose when you can make somebody else’s worst day better. There’s no better feeling when even the tiniest thing like cutting down a tree, having someone clear a driveway or sifting through people’s valuables that have been burnt and finding something that they thought had been lost forever. Being a part of the DRT that coordinates and allows that to happen is the best experience in the world.
Kylie Baumback ex vet DRAmember
Kylie Baumback: Front row, 3rd from left
As a child my family home was totally destroyed by fire. The memories and details have never fully left me, the traumatic feeling of loss linger in the back of my mind popping up every now and again to remind me of the intense emotional trauma. My own home fire had burned with such intensity that some items had retained their shape. I recall touching my saddle and it crumbling in my hands, at that moment my entire world stopped spinning as horse riding was my escape and passion. I don’t recall if there was a reason that we didn’t get to sift through the debris to find any special items that may have survived but I had always wished for the opportunity to find something to show me hope.
Operation Woods wave 4 gave me the opportunity to fulfill a long held desire to find something salvageable amongst the despair and ashes. I was privileged to find a ring that belonged to the clients daughter and the wedding ring of the client. I just wished that when I was going through the same process I had had an organisation like Disaster Relief Australia there to help. The sifting job provided the opportunity for me to find a sense of closure for myself, and hope for the clients. I am extremely proud and privileged to be part of Disaster Relief Australia.
I’m a born and bred Perth Hills girl, previously in the Glen Forest volunteer brigade. The footage of the fires was heartbreaking, I wanted to give my time to support the community recover and rebuild.
On this operation I spoke to a bloke to book a damage assessment. He was a volunteer firefighter who lost his home whilst fighting fires elsewhere. I was able to attend the damage assessment and as it turns out, he was a friend of my sister and brother-in-law. It feels good to know that I can be part of helping a family friend.
My husband and I run an ice cream business. With the heat of the deployments we decided it would be a great morale boost for the team to come back to some nice cold and tasty favours. It’s just a small thanks for great work done by DRA!
My folks live on Kangaroo Island. My family and I got over there a couple of weeks after the fires. I got to see the devastation and hear the stories firsthand.
I understand the amount of help these people need. When I heard about the call out for volunteers through my work (Fortesque Metals Group), I knew I would do whatever I could no matter what the task was. These experiences are just unimaginable for someone who lives in suburbia.
I love my job, but it is nice to get out in the bush and jump in with a team and asses something that looks insurmountable, but be able to knock it off. I really like working with people with all different skill sets and experiences – to do whatever needs to be done. My wife is extremely proud of me getting out and doing this volunteer work. Hats of to her, she’s taking on extra work between her job and the kids to enable me to do this!
A highlight of my time so far occurred at a job where we were tasked with sifting to find an important bit of family jewellery for a lady. We found some rings and I won’t forget the look on her face. I could tell it meant something – a bit of hope and joy and a bit of a spark to the day. Out of everything that was burnt out, it was something that wasn’t lost.
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.
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