Operation Jensen

In January 2023, key infrastructure, homes, and businesses were destroyed and inundated when heavy rainfall from ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie caused significant flooding in the Kimberley region with the Fitzroy River peaked at a record 15.81m.

Fitzroy Crossing, with a population of 400 was the main township in the affected region. The DRA team worked with the community, including residents and not-for-profits, to assist with clearing debris and flood clean-up.

Western Australia’s flood recovery operation is named in honour of Major Mac Jensen OAM RFD JP. Major Mac Jensen OAM RFD JP was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia.

Mac has lived a life of service to remote Indigenous people, both military and civil, over the past 35 years.

As an Army officer, he recruited, trained and led remote Indigenous soldiers for the Australian Army in the Kimberley and northern Australia for over 15 of his 21 years of military service, including operational border protection tasks when commanding Kimberley Squadron NORFORCE. He remains a strong advocate for remote Indigenous ex-servicemen.

For the past 20 years, he has continued his training and capacity building work with remote Indigenous communities in the Kimberley and western desert regions of WA, particularly with remote Indigenous land and cultural heritage management ‘ranger’ programs, and leading successful remote Indigenous training, employment and capacity-building initiatives.