Volunteerism in war and peace

摘要

VOLUNTEERISM is the understated engine room of Australian society. It comes in many forms, is often taken for granted and yet it is hard to imagine where we would be without it. Unlike everyday volunteerism in more peaceful times, nowhere is the valueof people freely giving and helping more appreciated than when a community is recovering from disaster. As horrific events go, the Black Saturday wildfires on February 7 this year in Victoria were extreme. A total disaster for the areas hit at the time, fires devastated lives and damaged landscapes and communities in their path.