Prime Minister visits Northcliffe fire zone
MEDIA RELEASE - Prime Minister visits Northcliffe Fire Zone
March 2015
The Shire of Manjimup was yesterday visited by the Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott.The Prime Minister arrived on a whirlwind stopover which was organised by Rick Wilson MP, Federal Member for O'Connor, with the purpose being to give the Prime Minister some insight into the effort that went into controlling the fire and the recovery initiatives that are now being rolled out.
"We are honoured that Mr Wilson has taken the time and effort to organise this visit from the Prime Minister," said Shire President Wade DeCampo. "As we can all imagine, the Prime Minister's schedule is a busy one, but nonetheless his interest and awareness regarding the bushfire incident was humbling, and this certainly demonstrates the significance of what has occurred in Northcliffe."
The Prime Minister and Rick Wilson were briefed by Department of Parks and Wildlife and Department of Fire and Emergency Services personnel who were involved in the incident control operations during the fire, who described the magnitude of the bushfire and actions that were put into place to defend assets and prevent further spread.
"1,600 people were involved in the incident control, in excess of 98,000 hectares of land was burnt making it the largest fire the South West has ever seen, there was trilateral cooperation between federal, state and local government that ran seamlessly, 600 firefighters were deployed from interstate, the Royal Australian Air Force was involved, the list goes on. This is why he visited," explained Cr DeCampo.
Following the briefing, the Prime Minister was greeted by approximately 50 guests, including Northcliffe volunteer bushfire brigade personnel, operations personnel, affected landowners and other volunteers, at an afternoon tea also organised by Rick Wilson.
"When the Prime Minister addressed the gathering, he spoke about how impressed he is with how the whole community of Northcliffe banded together during what must have been a very wrenching and disrupting experience," relayed Cr DeCampo.
"He acknowledged everybody's efforts, whether they were at the afternoon tea or not. Whilst he didn't get to meet with the whole community, his recognition of everyone involved speaks volumes."
"Rick Wilson also came down to Pemberton during the fires and attended a Community Meeting, and it was great to see Nola Merino, Member for Forrest, at the afternoon tea, whose interest and support still extends into her former electorate," said Cr DeCampo.
-ENDS-
Authorised by Andrew Campbell, Chief Executive Officer, Shire of Manjimup.
Contact: 9771 7777
Contact for comment: Wade DeCampo, Shire President.
Contact: 0427 094 081
Contact Gina Nieuwendyk, Public Relations Officer, Shire of Manjimup
Contact: 9771 7777
