Really Rewarding, Health Care Australia Volunteers
Today was really rewarding and a big eye-opener seeing how much was destroyed in the floods. It’s one thing hearing about it – but seeing it is completely different! When we first arrived at a homeowner’s house, we thought “this is a huge job, how...
Never seen anything like this ever – Steve Baker Community Reflection
I’ve lived here for 12 months but I’ve never seen anything like this ever. About a metre of water came barrelling down the stairs and ramps. The water pressure has blown the heavy fire doors off their hinges and ripped them in half. It’s come through the carpark...
Positive About the Future – David
Before moving to Gipsy Point in 2009, I was living in Melbourne and just felt like a tree and sea change, I’ve been here about 12 years now with my partner and our dog Trixie. The day the fire came through was pretty heavy, we had been watching it on the...
I Have Hope Again – Takeshi
The day the fires came into Mallacoota a farmer friend told me it is really coming. My house is on the outskirts of Mallacoota, my driveway is quite long, so I thought, if I stay, I won’t know if the fire comes to us, so decided to go to the shop. I planned to...
Afghan Refugees Rolling up Sleeves for Disaster Relief
In December 2019, devastating bushfires ripped through the Adelaide Hills, destroying 86 houses and damaging around 160 more as well as burning through hundreds of hectares of farmland and vineyards. Following these unprecedented Black Summer bushfires, Disaster...Recent News
Disaster Relief Australia launched has launched its 9th Disaster Relief Team (DRT) in Tasmania. With a DRT in every state and territory across Australia, DRA is truly now built to serve. The newly formed DRT launches with 42 volunteers ready to serve their local communities and support national operations, such as those currently underway in the flood-affected regions of NSW and Queensland. DRT Manager Kylie Baumback will lead the Tasmanian team and is keen to engage with the Tasmanian community and showcase the nationally accredited and advanced training opportunities that are available for all volunteers. This includes preparedness operations such as aerial mapping exercises and big-map community planning operations, in addition to disaster response skills such as drone operations, plant equipment, logistics, chainsaw, incident management team skills and more. “The geographical location of Tasmania means it can take time to attract and move resources from across Australia to respond to a natural disaster. We must, therefore, build and maintain a level of preparedness that enables the state to commence recovery operations as soon as possible utilising the amazing pool of local talent and collective knowledge of people who are fundamentally driven to the service of those in need.” Special thanks to Pete and the team at the Launceston RSL for hosting us for the event and the Lions Club of Kings Meadows for cooking our bbq lunch.
On 19th April, the Leader of the Australian Labor Party, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, announced that if elected his government would provide Disaster Relief Australia with funding over three years to support DRA’s National Veteran Volunteer Service (NVVS). The Liberal/National Coalition announced via the offices of Senator The Hon. Bridget McKenzie Minister for Regionalisation and Emergency Management and The Hon. Andrew Gee MP, Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs that they will also support the work of DRA and the principles that underpin the NVVS, pledging the same amount of $38.1 million in funds over the next three years. Thank you to both major parties for their recognition and support of Disaster Relief Australia and the National Veteran Volunteer Service initiative. It shows great leadership and vision for the future in support of veterans and the wider Australian community in times of need. What is the NVVS? Every year, Australian communities face devastating losses caused by disasters. Bushfires, floods, storms, and other hazards and their associated consequences have significant impacts on communities, the economy, infrastructure and the environment. The recovery space is quite devoid of assets at the moment with boots on the ground, and there are just so many veterans out there with the military skills required to assist. DRA has been working nationally with the ADF and government for the past five years, and over the last year has campaigned for the establishment of a National Veteran Volunteer Service. Building DRA’s NVVS, which is what the proposed funding will support, is an innovative, proven and highly effective approach to enabling veteran wellness and ability. Veterans have been trained with unique skills and have experiences that can be harnessed to assist disaster affected communities. This initiative will also give us the ability to further integrate with emergency responders and formalise a system for national disaster response based on shared knowledge. How will the funding be used? The pledged funding recognises that a national, coordinated and cooperative effort is needed to enhance Australia’s capacity to withstand and recover from emergencies and disasters. It will provide the level of funding required for DRA to grow, through targeted volunteer recruitment and training to a point where we have the right number of volunteers ready to continue to support communities impacted by disasters. It will also provide veterans with a renewed sense of purpose and self-worth, while also creating a sustainable and fit-for-purpose model of continued service as a much-needed national asset in disaster resilience and recovery.
