During my time with the City of Wanneroo, I worked on projects and tasks across planning, preparedness, response and recovery. One of my main responsibilities was to review and maintain Local Emergency Management Arrangements in consultation with Local Emergency Management Committee members. My key achievement was securing funding and initiating the Prepare Together Project, which received a Highly Commended in the Resilient Australia Awards in 2022. Other highlights included initiating a partnership with a local trotting club and developing guidelines for the use of their facility as a temporary relocation area for animals in emergencies, delivering preparedness sessions to higher risk groups, and project managing the implementation of the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System across the City. My most memorable experience was being part of a team that supported the City’s response and recovery efforts following the devastating Mariginiup Fires in 2023.

Working as part of the Emergency Serivces team at Australian Red Cross, I contribute to the planning, implementation and monitoring of community resilience and capacity building projects. This includes delivering emergency preparedness sessions, online and face to face training workshops and a range of communication and engagement activities targeted at various stakeholders. I also help when needed to mobilise and deploy teams to provide pychosocial support to individuals, families and communities before, during and after major emergencies such as bushfires, cyclones and mass trauma events.

Co-facilitate the delivery of Recovery workshops to local government CEOs, managers and staff.

This was a six month contract involving researching and launching a Home Evacuation Flagging Trial amongst local bushfire affected communities within the City of Cockburn. The project also included a community engagement component where we implemented a number of strategies aimed at reducing the impacts of bushfires and other major emergencies.

Working with a local Red Cross provincial branch in rural China, lead a team of staff and volunteers to develop and implement Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP) activities. This included setting up monitoring and evaluation processes and systems for future CBDP activities including project management and the application for further funding. I provided advice and mentoring to local staff, through translators to develop and deliver preparedness education and training to internal and external stakeholders from board members, to local government workers to local villagers. Together with this amazing team, through our monitoring processes, we were able to estimate that our projet reached 10,000 people at a grassroots level.

Working at a national and a state level, coordinate the planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of the Emergency Services operational program in Western Australia. Most days involved developing, reviewing and delivering training to internal and external stakeholders; coordinating Red Cross operations in response to emergencies by supporting logistical, operational and planning teams; and liaising with local government and emergency services agencies to contribute to emergency management plannning and preparedness in local areas.

Provide tracing and messaging services to clients in the Immigration Detention Centre and welfare support to refugee families living in residential determination. While on Christmas Island, I was also requested to establish relationships with relevant stakeholders, deliver training and develop an emergency services team.

This project involved researching and implementing a best practice model for the State Doorknock Appeal, Red Cross Calling in Western Australia. Over 3 years, I was responsible for recruiting and coordinating up to 18,000 volunteers and raising over $3 million for the Red Cross. Over this time, I lead a small team of staff and volunteer to design and deliver all communication packs and instructions required by doorknockers to complete their task and deposit their funds raised. We also set up systems to record who was collecting where throughout the state, we also monitored incoming fundraising dollars, collection rates and drop out rates. At the end of each appeal, I produced Final Reports and provided recommendations for future fundraising strategies.

Provide welfare and tracing and messaging services to displaced persons residing temporarily at Leeuwin Barracks.

I first joined the Red Cross in 1996 as a Project Officer in their Marketing Department. Over the next few years, I provided support for marketing and fundraising projects and events including car raffles, street appeals, direct marketing campaigns, corporate and philanthropic partnerships, conferences, launches and other special events.