With another bushfire season fast approaching, and with natural disasters growing in scale and frequency, it’s more important than ever for businesses & government to start planning how they can help individuals and communities in times of need. Every year, bushfires, floods, cyclones, and storms wreak havoc on our communities – leaving people without homes or access to the businesses and services they rely on every day. Australia Post’s national partnership with the Australian Red Cross is one of the ways we make sure communities get the help they need, when they need it most. When disaster strikes, one thing becomes crystal clear: staying connected is vital.
To help you plan how your organisation can connect with and assist Australians in the wake of a crisis, attend this important webinar.
You’ll learn about:
- Why it’s important for organisations like yours to prepare for disasters
- The impact that natural disasters have on communities
- How to help communities stay connected during times of need
- How Australia Post is uniquely positioned to help you prepare
Hear from Commissioner of Resilience NSW and 2021 NSW Australian of the Year, Shane Fitzsimmons, Postal Manager at Narooma Post Office, Janette Hunt and the National Resilience Advisor at Australian Red Cross, John Richardson. They will share their experiences and tactics to help your organisation and department, prioritise and prepare ahead of a disaster.
Registration is free and you can watch live, or on-demand when it suits you.
Learn about our speakers
Shane Fitzsimmons
Commissioner for Resilience NSW and Deputy Secretary, Emergency Management
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Shane Fitzsimmons is currently the chair of the State Emergency Management Committee (SEMC), the State Recovery Committee (SRC), Board of Commissioners (BOC) and the National Emergency Medal Committee (NEMC) in NSW.
He worked for the NSW Rural Fire Service of over 35 years, serving as both a volunteer and salaried member. In 1994, he joined the NSW RFS full-time, working in a range of leadership positions before being endorsed as the organisation’s commissioner in 2007 – a role he held for 12 years.
In 2019/20, Shane guided a state-wide response including a 74,000-strong crew of mostly volunteers through one of Australia’s worst fire seasons. In this terrifying bushfire season, Australians were reassured by the exemplary leadership and empathetic presence of then NSW Fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.
In 2020 he was named the 2021 NSW Australian of the Year and as category sponsor of this award.
John Richardson
National Resilience Adviser
Australian Red Cross
John Richardson is the National Resilience Adviser for the Australian Red Cross. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne in Global and Public Health focussing on the health and wellbeing trajectories of the Black Saturday Bushfires. John has recently been invited by the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction to be part of Global Risk Assessment Framework working groups.
He has 24 years of experience in preparedness, response and recovery in government and non-government organisation settings, at individual, local, state, national and international levels. He led the development of Red Cross’ unique preparedness program, Rediplan. John has also worked closely with disaster affected individuals and communities.
John has a background in Geography and Nursing, with a strong interest in the human impacts of disaster, particularly death and bereavement.
Janette Hunt
Post Office Manager
Narooma Post Office
Janette Hunt has had a career spanning 21 years at Australia Post. She is the current Post Office Manager at Narooma Post Office on the South Coast of NSW.
On New Years Eve of 2019, Batemans Bay was hit by terrifying bushfires. They were fierce and devastating affecting 460 homes and 600 outbuildings in the Eurobodalla region. In their wake, as people struggled to cope, Janette, the Post Office Manager of Batemans Bay Post Office at the time, opened the doors to become a makeshift service centre and community hub for the town.
Locals relied on the post office as their link to information, communication and as a source of power where electricity supplies had been cut. The post office with Janette at the helm, closed for only four days due to a loss of power – for the rest of the time it was pivotal to a community coming to terms with their loss.
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