On 21, 22 and 23 April events were held in 28 regional locations to thank firefighters, support staff, volunteers and community members. On Sunday, 22 April, I spoke at two events, one in Heywood, followed by an afternoon tea function at the Warrnambool Civic Centre. The events provided representatives of the state government with an opportunity to go out to many communities to directly thank people for all their hard work in very adverse conditions. Whilst the fires are now gone, we will not forget the tireless commitment demonstrated by so many, day after day. It gave people attending the events a chance to catch up, compare stories and think about how things can be done differently or not done differently in the unfortunate advent of fires in the future.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Warrnambool City Council, the Moyne Shire Council and the Glenelg Shire Council for the role they played during the fires and facilitating the thankyou events on 22 April 2007