Day 2 at Gembrook

Day 2 

 

Up at 0630hrs and a drive back up to Gembrook. The chequered tape still attached to the entrance of the Gembrook Oval where the Staging Area was located. On my arrival i find the catering crew starting to empty eskies. I make a quick phone call to the Pakenham ICC and find out that that we are demobilising today (packing up). It was quite an emotional process. Even though we were only there for one day it seemed like a week! For someone who has been on 2 international deployments for DVI its always difficult to leave a place where you have experienced rare emotions....even if it is only one day of it. We emptied eskies, cleaned up all the rubbish and restored the cricket club back to its original state, if not better! Professional clean up crew turned up which was a relief for us. The remaining people stood around waiting for me to get off the phone from the Pakenham ICC to confirm what equipment we still had left at the staging area (portable toilets, sinks, cool room etc). We were finally given the go ahead to leave. I bid my goodbyes and heartfelt thank yous to the DSE and Park VIC workers.  

 

I spent that morning having breakfast at the Pakenham town centre. It was the first time i had picked up the paper all weekend. Photos of devastation, hope, animals and stories filled The Herald Sun from back to front.  I was finally given the ok to return home from the Pakenham ICC. Other staging areas were just recovering from the previous day and starting the day all over again. 

 

I drove home listening to ABC 774....i wish i hadn't, there was so much sadness, urgency and heartache heard and i felt for all the victims, knowing that i would be called into work to help with the DVI process in the next few days, as the death toll continued to climb. I made some phone calls and spoke to some members from the Unit which helped to put things into perspective. There were/are so many people wanting to help in some sort of way. I feel like i helped by being there before it happened, but still feel like i could have done more, but i usually am hard on myself =) I helped set up and provide a pleasant area for crews to rehydrate once they were pulled off the fire line. Doesn't matter that i was there for only 1 night, it was important to me...its quality not quantity. Now i feel that it is my responsibility as a senior member at VICSES to put forward and encourage my fellow Unit members to put their hands up for the next deployment.

 

My next step; it is my responsibility as a experienced Forensic Technician to put my energy into assisting with the DVI process for as long as i am needed.

 

Ruby x 

 

 

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