Gingin volunteer firefighter and councillor Nikki Woods’ photo We Work Together as One is a state winner in the Resilient Australia awards.
Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said the stirring image (below) visually captured the joint response from firefighters, police, paramedics and the RAC rescue helicopter at a crash in Gingin.
The Gingin Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service member will now represent WA as a finalist in the people’s choice category at the national awards in Canberra on Wednesday, November 20.
The Resilient Australia awards, in their 25th year, recognises the hard work of individuals, organisations, governments and schools who are developing programs and initiatives to help communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters.
Mr Dawson said Western Australia had experienced a number of serious weather events, such as cyclones, floods and bushfires in recent years which highlighted the importance of disaster resilience.
“Through climate change, these types of events could become more frequent and so it’s critical that we continue to think outside the box about how we can help communities be better prepared and recover effectively,’’ he said.
“Individuals, businesses and government all have a role to play in building resilience and it is great to see some outstanding WA initiatives recognised for their work in this space.’’
“Congratulations to Nikki Woods on her win and to all those who involved in submissions that won recognition for programs that can help protect local communities.
“Nikki’s stirring photograph certainly captures resilience in action and is a celebration of the teamwork and unwavering commitment of WA’s emergency services.
“I wish her the best of luck in the national Resilient Australia awards next month.”
This article appeared on Yanchep News Online on 7 November 2024.