Photos courtesy Reclink Australia
A special event in Mallacoota was an opportunity for emergency services personnel and community members to come together as the region continues to recover following the Black Summer fires.
Held on Sunday 16 October at the Mallacoota Oval, the Cann To Coota Emergency Services Cup pitted teams from CFA, VICSES, Life Saving Victoria, Ambulance Victoria, Coast Guard, and Parks Victoria/Fisheries against each other in a series of fun challenges designed to showcase skills from each agency.
Lively spectators, including a drumming cheer squad, enjoyed watching the teams battle it out through the challenges, which included a line search, a first-aid scenario, a rescue tube relay race, flora and fauna identification, trivia and knot tying.
Mallacoota Coast Guard won the inaugural trophy, with VICSES a close second.
The event was organised by Reclink Australia East Gippsland to provide a means for emergency services members to reconnect after the 2019-20 fires and COVID-19 restrictions through friendly competition.
Hundreds of locals attended, taking advantage of the opportunity to pay tribute to members and the role they played and continue to play in protecting and rebuilding Mallacoota, Gypsy Point, Genoa, Cann Valley and surrounding areas.
Community members were invited to write letters of support to emergency services personnel and describe what they loved about the Mallacoota and Cann Valley districts on paper leaves, which were then placed on a gratitude tree.
Onsite entertainment, food trucks, kids' activities and displays kept families engaged throughout the day.
Reclink East Gippsland sports coordinator Cassandra McNamara said she was thrilled with community members who came out to show their support for their community heroes.
“It was such an honour to see everyone mingling, laughing and celebrating the emergency services and our communities,” Cassandra said.
“Our local emergency services personnel devote countless hours serving our communities.
“This event was an opportunity to bring the community together to personally thank, acknowledge and celebrate them.”
The event was supported by the EMV-funded VICSES/CFA Wellbeing Recovery Project which aims to support the psychological recovery of first responders and their families following the 2019-20 bushfires.
| Submitted by |
Shaunnagh O'Loughlin |