disaster relief australia
OUR STORY
First chapter
Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) was launched in 2016. Our first disaster relief operation was launched in April 2017 in response to the devastation wrought by Tropical Cyclone Debbie. This operation, dubbed Operation Dunlop, after WWII Surgeon Sir Ernest Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop, saw DRA deployed to the hard-hit town of Proserpine in North Queensland. For over three weeks 62 volunteers worked tirelessly to help the greater Proserpine community recover from the disaster. As importantly, we proved that military veterans are ideally suited to conduct this type of work.


Our journey
The journey to Proserpine started in 2013, when a model of disaster relief utilising veterans was tested in the United States. The model was imported and contextualised to Australian backdrop. Subsequently, a commitment was made that has now become our Mission Statement:
To be the pre-eminent disaster relief organisation in the Asia-Pacific Region, and in doing so, change the narrative around what it means to be a veteran in Australia. Disaster Relief Australia was born of this commitment, and is a fully independent Australian-Registered Charity.
In the spirit of WWI veterans returning to build the Great Ocean Road, DRA has reinvented the idea that veterans are some of most highly trained civic assets, with skills and experience to be harnessed. They are anything but victims, they are Built to Serve.
Donate to Disaster Relief Australia
By pairing the unique skills and experiences of military veterans and first responders, Disaster Relief Australia supplies a valuable and needed service to those affected by disaster.
Donate today and your dollar will do double time, positively impacting veterans and first responders by deploying them and providing support to communities in Australia and around the world. How good is that?