Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) was launched in 2020, after a tenure as Team Rubicon Australia, which was founded in August 2016. Its first disaster relief operation was launched in April 2017 in response to the devastation wrought by Tropical Cyclone Debbie. This operation, dubbed Operation Dunlop, after WWII Surgeon Sir Ernest Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop, saw DRA deployed to the hard-hit town of Proserpine in North Queensland. For over three weeks 62 volunteers worked tirelessly to help the greater Proserpine community recover from the disaster. Importantly, it proved that military veterans are ideally suited to conduct this type of work.
It currently has Disaster Relief Teams (DRT’s) in North Queensland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. Its expansion plans over the next four years include DRT’s in Lismore, Penrith, Gosford, Hobart and Darwin.
DRA brings a capability and provides an opportunity to Australian Veterans that is much needed and long overdue.
This is an opportunity for Members of our Sub-Branch to be further involved in helping out a broader range of communities, which now incorporate the Legacy Camp at Busselton.