Mandurah wins national award for horse evacuation plan

The City of Mandurah has won the 2017 Resilient Australia National Award for its planning and evacuation scheme to protect horses during emergencies.

An integrated bushfire learning program for primary school students, a family affected by Tropical Cyclone Debbie and a proactive animal welfare initiative have been announced as winners of the 2017 national Resilient Australia Awards at a ceremony in Sydney today.

Now in its 18th year, the awards program is managed by the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience and celebrate the efforts of individuals and groups within communities across Australia who are leading the way in making the country better prepared for disasters and emergencies.

The City of Mandurah received the National Award for the development of the Equi-Evac Centre Network, an evacuation planning project designed to assist the equestrian community in managing and protecting horses in times of disaster.

The successful outcomes of this project included raising awareness and empowering community members to care for animals in emergencies, and, informing local government emergency management and animal welfare plans.

The project was funded by the 2016/17 All West Australians Reducing Emergencies (AWARE) program and facilitated by the City of Mandurah. 

The initial project took six months and covered 16 local government districts, including Mandurah, Murray, Rockingham, Bunbury, Busselton, Augusta Margaret River, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown Greenbushes, Capel, Collie, Dardanup, Donnybrook Balingup, Harvey, Manjimup and Nannup.

Mandurah Mayor Rhys Williams said emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility and we need to be on the front foot if disasters happen.

“We need to work together to make sure we are prepared for these events, and this extends to the welfare of our animals.

“It’s encouraging to see this project has provided the tools to help many other local governments and horse loving communities prepare for emergencies."

The National School Award went to Sydney’s St. Ives North Public School (NSW) in recognition of Project FireStorm, a holistic and integrated bushfire education program where students worked with the Rural Fire Service and devised innovative solutions for their community.

Summer Mulvey of Summer Rain Photography (North Qld) received the National Photography Award for ‘First Sight of Relief’ a poignant image that captures the emotion of rescue after Tropical Cyclone Debbie stranded her family in their Airlie Beach home for three days. 

More than 180 entries were received for this year’s awards, with eight shortlisted projects from across the country represented at the ceremony.