Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman will join the community to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Canberra bushfires at an event held at the ACT Bushfire Memorial in Stromlo Forest Park on the 18th of January.
The 2003 bushfires were a tragic event in our city's history that claimed four lives, 500 homes and injured and displaced many in our community.
"During this memorial period, our thoughts are with the victims of the 2003 bushfires - those who died, families who lost loved ones, those who were injured, those who lost their homes, as well as those who helped rebuild,
"A huge recovery effort has taken place over the years, and we acknowledge the many organisations and individuals who played crucial roles in the firefighting and recovery efforts,
"The ACT Government has undertaken significant reflection and work to learn from the lessons from the 2003 bushfires and implement a range of actions to ensure the territory is better prepared for bushfire and natural disasters,
"The community should be confident knowing that our emergency services agencies are more prepared for a bushfire emergency than ever before. Our emergency response to the Orroral Valley bushfire, storms and the COVID-19 pandemic show how the lessons learnt over the last 20 years have been implemented by the ACT Government and by our community,
"There are more technology and communication channels at our disposal than ever before which means our monitoring is more effective and we can notify the community much faster Surveillance, mapping, and prediction technology has advanced considerably,
"One thing that has not changed is how Canberra comes together during times of crisis – 20 years on from the tragedy and we continue to demonstrate that partnership, strength, and resilience that makes up the fabric of our community."
"I encourage anyone from the community who would like to pay their respects to visit throughout the day or during the week to place some rosemary at the ACT Bushfire Memorial," Minister Gentleman said.
Community members are invited to visit the ACT Bushfire Memorial at Stromlo Forest Park throughout the day on 18 January, where rosemary will be available for those wishing to place it in remembrance. The official commemorative event will be streamed online and is accessible through here from 6:30pm.
