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Veterans helping veterans after the fire

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Jan 30, 2026

DREW Madison, Hawthorne RSL President is currently in Murrindindi Shire, helping with Operation Veteran Assist (OVA).

The organisation is currently focused toward helping veterans who have been adversely impacted by the recent bushfire.

When we spoke, the team had just come back from the field, helping a couple of veterans down Spring Creek Road in Fawcett, clearing timber and rebuilding some fences.

OVA has brought around 20 people into the area. Drew said, “We’re a small group but we know we can get in and get started.”

They’ve found that many of the veterans in Murrindindi Shire are also CFA volunteers, who have obviously been very busy and are exhausted. Their own properties have also been impacted. “That’s where we can come in and just say all right you sit back and let us get on with it,” Drew said.

The OVA members come from across Melbourne, as well as a couple from Seymour and one from interstate. They have helped out in a variety of disaster locations, including Orbost and Rochester.

Team leader John Wilson and Eamon Hale also spoke about the organisation. John explained that they are also helping first responders with their properties.

They had an advance reconnaissance, then an advance party, followed by the main group on Saturday.

They attended the Incident Control Centre in Seymour to receive briefings from control as well as local government, Victoria Police and so on.

The various RSL sub-branches were able to not only provide them with briefing locations as well as advice on veterans who have been impacted by the fire.

John said that given their military background, they have also been able to help through providing ammunition to farmers with animals that need to be put down.

Eamon added, “We’ve got people coming in and out and they’re all getting inducted and there’s a degree of safety to everything that’s going on. It isn’t amateurish, it’s very professional. John’s very strong on that. But for me, as a participant too, I find the veterans, and everyone here’s a veteran,…

Image: Members of Operation Veteran Assist with members of the Alexandra RSL.

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