Stepping up in a crisis

When Tropical Cyclone Alfred ripped through Queensland and New South Wales, Believe Housing Australia employee Finn didn’t hesitate to roll up his sleeves and help.

He was one of 16 South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) volunteers deployed to Queensland in March to support the cyclone clean-up efforts.

In the largest single South Australian storm and flood deployment in more than a decade, the CFS was also joined by 34 emergency services personnel from both the State Emergency Service (SES) and the Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS).

For five days, Finn volunteered his time to help with recovery efforts, including removing tree debris from people’s homes or cars.

He said he volunteered as a way of repaying other states for their help following South Australian natural disasters.

“Other states and territories have come to help with our recovery efforts, and it is nice to be able to repay them,” Finn said.

AnglicareSA and its housing arm, Believe Housing Australia, offers paid community services leave to employees, which can be used for emergency services volunteering, jury service, and Australian Defence Force (ADF) reservist leave.

“It was great that community services leave was an option, and I didn’t need to take those volunteering days out of my annual leave balance,” Finn said.

A carpenter with building qualifications, Finn is an Assets and Maintenance Officer responsible for coordinating with trades to ensure that repairs and upgrades (such as painting or installing new floors) are completed on vacant Believe Housing Australia properties ready for tenants to move into.

He said there was some overlap between his occupation and volunteer work at the CFS.

“Helping people in stressful situations or experiencing hardship is something I do as a volunteer and in my role at Believe Housing Australia,” he said.

Finn has been a CFS volunteer for 10 years, joining in 2015 after seeing the destruction caused by the Sampson Flat bushfires, labelled the most destructive fire in the Adelaide Hills in more than 30 years.

“The bushfires were fairly close to my local area and people that I knew, and it just prompted me to check it out to see if I could get involved,” Finn said.

“I think volunteering is good for people to do, and it helps you learn life skills.

“It’s such a good feeling when you show up to help someone and they’re grateful and stoked to see you.”