A generous gesture from the Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation and Sutherland Shire Council will see much needed support continue to flow towards local Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews, with a joint donation of close to $15,000 recently provided to assist with the purchase of much needed safety equipment.
Nominated as the official charity partner of Sutherland Shire Council's 2020 Australia Day events, Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation made the decision to divert funds raised at the Cronulla and Illawong events to support hardworking local RFS crews.
Sutherland Shire Mayor, Councillor Carmelo Pesce said it was inspiring to see the Kurranulla team selflessly lend their support to the RFS as they continued to assist those communities still battling the aftermath of extensive summer blazes.
"While recent events may have sharply shifted the public focus from recent bushfire events throughout the state and across the country, the reality is there is still a great deal of support needed to assist our local RFS crews as they continue to help those communities hardest hit," Mayor Pesce said.
"With communities across the country still in the grip of devastating bushfires as we prepared for local Australia Day events, the Kurranulla team wasted no time in opting to pass on funds raised at these events on to our hardworking local RFS volunteers to ensure they are properly equipped to tackle the task.
"It is also important to note that these funds were raised through the support of the many Sutherland Shire locals and visitors to our region who donated so generously during our Australia Day events. I know they will be delighted to see that their contributions have been directed to such a worthy cause.
"The Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation does some incredible work in supporting the needs of First Nations peoples living throughout the Sutherland Shire and St George region and in fostering strong links between the indigenous and non-indigenous community.
"Their selfless support of our local RFS crews through this donation speaks volumes about the pivotal role they play in our community and will greatly assist with the purchase of much needed safety equipment for those called upon to face fires in the future."
The donation comes on top of support previously offered by Sutherland Shire Council to communities in the state's south who were hit hard by the blazes, with Council contributing $50,000 in funding to Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla and Bega Shire Councils and a further $25,000 in support of NSW Emergency Services to aid bushfire response and recovery efforts.
