Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a great 2011

It is time to say 'thank you!'

The holiday season offers us a special opportunity to extend our personal thanks to you for your contribution over the past 12 months. 2010 has been a busy and exciting period for Community Engagement and our achievements are the direct result of our community engagement team across the state working together. To all of you who have been involved in, or supported, the NSW RFS Community Engagement activities we send our sincere appreciation - thank you so very much.

Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends, to be thankful for what we have and enjoy a well-earned break. Please take care and stay safe especially while travelling.


The 2010 revised Bush Fire Survival Plan



From Lew - 2010 has been a great year for community engagement. Highlights for me were the support and guidance we have received from the Consultative Committee, attending the Region West Forum and the increased use of social media such as Facebook and our Blog to improve accessibility to information for everyone across the state.

The new Fact Sheets, the Bush Fire Survival Plan revision and the delivery of the Roadshows were all positive changes in direction that involved a lot of interaction and feedback from our members that led to the delivery of much better engagement products. I thank you for this.

Personally, I have consciously tried for a better work life balance this year, with varying levels of success. Family is such an important part of our lives and I encourage everyone to use the holiday season to reflect on this.

From Tanyia - My personal highlight over the past year was the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people, hear some of your stories and learn from your experiences. Our state-wide community engagement team is made up of so many dedicated people. I would like to make special mention of the Consultative Committee for their openness and encouragement, the Wollondilly team for being so inviting and to each volunteer or staff member that took the time to share, question, challenge and encourage.



Participants in the 2010 Roadshow





Participating in events such as the Roadshows and the Pilot Training sessions were really enjoyable for me and I learnt so much about the challenges, successes and often humorous situations our team across the state finds themselves in. I look forward to meeting many more people and hearing many more stories in 2011.

Thank you so much for your efforts and support this year. We wish you, your family and loved ones a safe and Happy Christmas.

Lew                                                                        Tan

Lew Short                                                              Tanyia Tuckey

Group Manager Community Resilience                      Manager Community Engagement