Enormous contributions from Victorian communities

Deputy Chief Officer Garry Cook and Operations Manager Stewart Kreltszheim (who was born in Sri Lanka) accepted the donations and thanked both communities for their generosity.

“It’s an honour to be able to accept these cheques today and celebrate both Victoria’s diversity and its unity in the face of this challenging fire season. Thank you to all our Victorian communities for their contributions.” Garry said.   

The Sri Lankan community donated more than $15,000 to CFA after hosting a major fundraising event early in February. Sri Lankan born CFA volunteers spoke at these events about their experiences as CFA volunteers.

The Chin community has an ongoing bushfire appeal. They donated more than $60,000 last Friday, which is only the first round of donations. Chin leaders from communities and churches in Victoria were present at the handover and thanked CFA for its ongoing efforts. 

Simon Sang Hre spoke on behalf of the Australian Chin Community Council and expressed his community’s deep gratitude for the work done by CFA in keeping Victorians safe from the threat of fire.  “Congratulations to all those involved in this amazing effort,” he said.

Stewart Kreltszheim thanked the Chin community for their enormous contribution during the bushfire crisis.

“Thank you to you and the members of the Chin communities for your ongoing support and generosity. It means so much to our firefighters to know that the community is behind them during this challenging fire season,” Stewart said.

The Chin community will be hosting a bushfire relief concert on 13 March in Ringwood. To find out more go to the Chin Community Facebook event page.

You can find out more about donations and fundraising opportunities on our updated intranet pages or through the CFA website.