Unbeknownst to Moira Shire’s Director Infrastructure Services and current chair of the Municipal Emergency Management Committee, she had been nominated for the prestigious award for her work with Towong Shire Council during the 2019-20 bushfires in north east Victoria.
“I’m grateful to be recognised; I wasn’t expecting this, it’s a pleasant surprise,” Rachael said.
“It made me reflect on that time and how much of an investment went into that time.”
The National Emergency Medal recognises significant or sustained service in response to officially declared emergencies in Australia.
Rachael had just been appointed 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 of 2019.
With limited staff available, Rachael found herself leading the disaster response as the fire raged for weeks.
She then managed the infrastructure recovery process that followed.
Rachael had grown up in the area, so her local knowledge helped, but the scale of the disaster was overwhelming.
“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 [evacuation 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 the community went straight into COVID lockdowns in March adding an extra level of complexity in helping people.
But Rachael wasn’t only dealing with the disaster on a professional level, it was also very personal.
For three days she didn’t know the fate of her family or their farm as communications had failed across the shire.
“I was very invested in this; my parents’ farm was burnt out and lots of people I knew and grew up with were affected,” she said.
“It’s why I stayed as long as I did through the recovery process, to help the community close to home.
“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.”
Moving to Moira, Rachael thought she’d left fires behind, but when the Yarroweyah/Muckatah fire broke out on January 9, she once again found herself leading Council’s emergency response, bringing back stark memories from the 2019-20 disaster.
Especially when a fire broke out near Tallangatta at the same time, and her family was again on high alert.
“It’s very hard to be in both a personal and professional environment, but this is my job and I have to wear that hat and ignore the rest,” she said.
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