Shoalhaven City Council will organise a thank-you parade or festival to acknowledge the effort of volunteers and organisations during the bushfire emergency.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At an extraordinary meeting on the bushfires on Monday, January 20 the council unanimously voted to support the idea of a thank-you event.
No date or specific details were decided but the event will be organised by a bushfire council consultative group.
After the 2001/2002 Christmas and New Year's fires a thank-you parade and concert was also held.
On February 16, 2002 thousands of Shoalhaven residents lined the streets and watched a special parade of honour march from Graham Street to the Nowra Showground.
The then Shoalhaven RFS Superintendent Brian Perry was presented with the Keys of the City.
On the same day about 5000 people attended a thank-you concert in the rain at which Jimmy Barnes and Yothu Yindi's lead singer Mandawuy Yunupingu performed.
Cr Nina Digiglio, who put forward the motion, said several local business people had raised the idea of holding a parade with her.
"Their idea was to bring people together and perhaps stimulate the business as well... in a way that fully acknowledges all our workers and volunteers," she said.
"I also want to work with our Indigenous community who have lost land and country."
Cr Patricia White said she commended the motion but wanted to take the idea further and amended the motion to include a long list of groups including the RFS, Endeavour Energy, tree loppers and wildlife groups.
Cr Mitchell Pakes, who is a firefighter, said some volunteers might have reservations about parading down the street.
"I'm sure there are plenty of volunteers who will not show up and parade down the street," he said.
"I'm just a bit hesitant that some volunteers would shudder at the idea.
"They don't do it for the recognition."