2021 Speaker Series – Brendan Barry
Brendan Barry – Wed 29th Sept AEST 7pm Brendan works with Open Arms, MESHA, Trojans Trek and the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management in Tasmania delivering Mental Health First Aid courses and other programs including “Living our Vales” and...
2021 Speaker Series – CAPT Toovey
CAPT Hoovey joined us on 26th August, 2021 as a DRA guest speaker. He is self-proclaimed “One Nut, Half a Gut,”. He founded 25 STAY ALIVE to encourage young people to be proactive with their health. He says “Yes, you can face multiple life-threatening diseases...
2021 Speaker Series – Daryll Ainsworth
Daryll Ainsworth joined us on 29th July 2021 for the first Disaster Relief Australia guest speaker series for this year. DRA member Daryll Ainsworth, comes from a military background with the Australian Army which included one year on active service in South Vietnam...
DRA Guest Speaker Series 2020 with Mike Hartas
Michael (Mike) Hartas commenced his military career at Duntroon in Canberra in 1996 and graduated in 1998 to the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. Posted to the 1st Field Regiment in Brisbane commanding a Section of Artillery Guns, Mike settled into Regimental...
DRA Guest Speaker Series 2020 with Billy Hedderman
Billy Hedderman presented live on Thursday, 29 October 2020 as a DRA Guest Speaker of the 2020 Series. Billy Hedderman is a recovered quadriplegic. The ex-Irish Special Forces officer broke his neck on a beach in Australia in 2014 and was instantly paralysed. Lucky...News
We are excited to announce that Disaster Relief Australia has been recognised for an Outstanding Achievement in The Australian Charity Awards 2022. This is the third consecutive year that DRA has received an award in this category which recognises charitable organisations that have achieved outstanding results through initiatives that have significantly benefited charitable causes. The 2022 Outstanding Achievement was awarded to DRA for our plans to build our veteran-led volunteer base to create a fit-for-purpose model of continued service to the nation, while at the same time, establishing veterans as a much-needed national asset in disaster resilience and recovery. Our plans to build our volunteer workforce over the next three years will address a whole-of-nation resilience-based approach to disaster management, which recognises that a national, coordinated, and cooperative effort is needed to enhance Australia’s capacity to withstand and recover from emergencies and disasters. In partnership with the Australian Government’s announced funding, we will be significantly building our organisation, infrastructure and capability to always provide optimal support and relief for vulnerable communities affected by natural and #humanitarian disasters. We will further develop systems to connect with other emergency response and relief agencies and increase interoperability as well as to recruit more volunteers into DRA. Volunteering with DRA is a great way for anyone wishing to expand their skills set and either deploy into communities impacted by disaster to aid in their recovery or other #opportunities volunteering behind the scenes to support our recovery operations and daily non-profit activities. To learn more about our award submission visit: Australian Charity Awards – 2022 Winners
With lessons learned from 2017, Debra thought the upstairs of her store was well protected against rising waters. She was wrong. The 2022 Northern Rivers flood hit hard. Her premises, stock and irreplaceable collectables were significantly damaged. Under pressure and devastated, Debra attempted to repair the damage, run her business and manage the loss of her home in South Lismore. With overwhelming tasks piled high, DRA stepped in. They relocated damp and mouldy records, cleaned stock and cleared areas for use again. Debra said of the team: “I just couldn’t stop saying oh my god, oh my god because it had such a huge impact. To really see the progress is psychologically uplifting and amazing. For example, there was a team member who fixed my roller door. It had been damaged after the flood and was covered in mud. Just to see the blue paint on the door rather than the mud was phenomenally uplifting. I don’t know why I keep using the word uplifting, but it was just amazing.”
