Honoured for leading during bushfire crises

Unbeknownst to her, she had been nominated for the award for her work during the 2019-20 bushfires.

“I’m grateful to be recognised,” Rachael said.

“I wasn’t expecting it — it’s a pleasant surprise. It made me reflect on that time and the level of work that went into it.”

The National Emergency Medal recognises significant or sustained service in response to formally declared emergencies in Australia.

Rachael had only just begun her role as director of infrastructure and environment at Towong Shire, based in Tallangatta, when the fire was declared out of control on New Year’s Eve 2019.

With limited staff available, she found herself leading the disaster response as the fire burned for weeks, before managing the recovery that followed.

Having grown up in the area, Rachael’s local knowledge proved invaluable, but the scale and intensity of the disaster was confronting.

“Things were constantly happening and changing — we had received an enormous amount of donations, there was dead stock everywhere, and we had two emergency recovery centres overflowing with people,” she said.

“The fire got out of the bush and headed towards Corryong — every day it moved and threatened a new area.

“The fire burned from January to the end of February, and then we went straight into COVID lockdowns in March. This added an extra level of complexity in helping people.

“When I look back, I think what an enormous impact it had.”

Looking back, Rachael said the impact of the disaster was still difficult to fully comprehend.

Her involvement was not only professional, it was deeply personal.

For three days during the crisis, she didn’t know the fate of her family or their farm as communications failed across the shire.

“My parents’ farm was burnt out and many people I knew and grew up with were affected,” she said.

“It was a very different five years than what I thought it would be going into the job.

“It’s a pleasant surprise to be recognised for the sustained service I put in during and after the event.”

Now working at Moira Shire Council, Rachael initially thought she had left bushfire emergencies behind.

However, when the Yarroweyah-Muckatah fire broke out on January 9, she found herself leading council’s emergency response.

At the same time, a separate fire near Tallangatta placed her family back on high alert, bringing back stark memories of 2019-20.

“It’s very hard to be in both a personal and professional environment,” she said.

“But this is my job and I have to wear that hat and ignore the rest.”