Time to Help Other People – Scott Whiley, Veteran

Disaster Relief Australia | May 2021

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.