See the Impact of DRA, Veteran Tory
I was previously in the infantry for eight years. I’ve transferred across and are currently serving full time in the Royal Australian Air Force. When I was posted up in North Queensland, I saw the impact of Disaster Relief Australia during the Townsville floods....
Put My Skills to Use Helping Australians, Veteran Spot Swales
I was drawn to volunteer with Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) due to its focus on supporting veterans. After service in the Royal Australian Navy in the 1960s and 1970s, I wanted to put my skills to use in helping Australians, especially with the recent floods in New...
Passion to Give up Time for Community, Veteran, Alan Ashman
I first heard about Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) by following the journey of another member who has been with DRA for a few years and seeing the operations that he had deployed on. Seeing the great work he’s done as a member of DRA led me to think “this...
Positive Support Through Empowerment – Veteran, Josh Bailey
My military service began at age 17 as an Army reservist, with the 2/17 Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment. Based in Blacktown, Sydney. Not long prior, I completed year ten and had an apprenticeship fall through. It was a friend in the reserves who drew my...
True Heroes – Veteran, Wayne Larson
In the 80’s I was a writer in the Navy. My grandfather, my great uncle, cousins, myself and now my son, all joined the Navy. It was generational. After 5 years of service, I left and headed down a pathway in training and development, training in First Aid and...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.
