BLACK SATURDAY AND A REFLECTION ON OUR RURAL
RESPONSE EFFORTS
Doug Hammerton (570)
And reflecting on the caravan collection & delivery, here’s an extract from a report I wrote
for T
rackwatch …
As at the end of September the RRG volunteer programme for delivering caravans into the
bushfire zones transitioned from volunteers to a commercial delivery operation. Here’s a
bit about how it all started and what was achieved.
How it all started ....
This initiative started after a radio interview with John Faine on ABC radio 774 was heard
about the need to move caravans for the bush fire victims. One thing led to another and
the CEO of FWD Vic was able to follow up and engagements were made for the FWD
Victoria associated clubs to assist and undertake the towing.
Under the Rural Response banner, Doug Hammerton commenced the engagement with
clubs on behalf of FWD Victoria and I, Ron Reed, took on the coordinating role for him.
The vans have been generally donated or leased to the Department of Human Services
(DHS) who manage the allocation. The DHS has administered public housing but the
management of caravans to bushfire victims introduced many things never undertaken
before by government ......
In Winding Down the Programme….
Since the 7th February, 2009, Black Saturday, members of the FWD Vic have moved over
250 caravans. Each and every van movement is accompanied by incredible stories of
escape, of courage, of luck, or horror of property damage or lost friends and loved ones.
As volunteers, members of the FWD fraternity have donated time, vehicles and fuels to this
programme. The following graphs show some of the efforts
Newbies Trip Report.docx
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