With her face smeared with ash and soot, Brooke Bishop still manages to muster a smile.
The stay-at-home mum, who also happens to be an Army Reservist, didn’t hesitate when the call for help came through on Sunday 8 February.
“Help was needed to build containment lines around communities that had been left devastated,” says Brooke, mum to William, 5, and Edward, 4.
Without hesitation, the entire Bishop family stepped in to help keep the home front ticking along while Brooke was out in the bush.
“My family and friends were great,” Brooke said.
“I wasn’t sure what they would think, but they all said it was a great thing to do and that they would all help out.
“So Mum is babysitting and my husband James is taking a bit of time off work as well.”
Brooke is a Sapper, or military engineer in 4 Combat Engineer Regiment, a Ringwood-based unit within 4 Brigade, the home of Army Reservists in Victoria.
“I have been quite shocked by what I’ve seen,” says the young mum. “It really does affect people up here in the country. I haven’t been into the really bad areas but just being up on the hill and looking out and seeing total blackness, it’s really sad.”
The Australian Defence Force is helping in the bushfire effort, establishing a Joint Task Force to bring relief to the victims of the crisis.
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Read what our leaders say about this tragic national disaster.
For more on the bushfires, don’t miss next week’s Woman’s Day (on sale February 16).
Return to our bushfires main page.
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