15 January - Elizabeth Mildwater: Getting support during the bushfire crisis is important

Hello everyone,

Thankfully the bushfires have eased in many areas over the past couple of days, with some much needed rain falling across NSW. But we’re still being urged by the emergency services to take care and stay safe. Heavy storms are predicted across parts of NSW from Thursday this week, which may cause run-off, flash flooding or potential landslides.

The bushfire crisis is now in both response and recovery phases. Many of you will be involved and you may now be looking for some extra help or know people who need support.

Across Transport, we’ve put in place a range of leave provisions to use if you’re impacted. Everyone’s situation is different, so please speak with your manager about the arrangements that are right for you and call Transport Shared Services on 133 877 if you have any further questions.

One area I’d like to emphasise is mental health. It’s important to understand that you (and the people around you) may be struggling because of what you’ve seen, experienced or even read in the coverage recently. It’s not uncommon for us to feel distressed, tired and overwhelmed when we’re trying to cope with the magnitude of disasters like this one.

I lived in Victoria at the time of the 2009 fires and for several years afterwards. I know from that experience just how important it is for people to get the right support when they are dealing with trauma. This particularly applies to our responders, who go above and beyond in circumstances such as these, but can sometimes set aside the impact on themselves. When people don’t seek support it can have long lasting impact on communities, well beyond the physical restoration of houses and services. It’s important to seek support early but it’s never too late.

So please think about your own wellbeing and keep an eye out for your workmates, friends and neighbours. Take the time to check in with others – remember that question, are you OK? We’ve practiced it before. Now is a good time to use it.

We have support available for you which is summarised in this new factsheet on health, safety and wellbeing. You can also register for one of the upcoming bushfire support webinars, which start this Thursday 16 January. These will help our people understand how a disaster can impact an individual’s mental health and wellbeing, and will provide information on continued support.

Many of you have already played a critical role in helping customers and communities and many more would like to continue helping in any way you can. The best way is to make donations to the charities supporting the bushfires. You can do that through our Workplace Giving Program, which is currently available to those of you in Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink and STA and will shortly be offered to Sydney Metro and TfNSW as well. Or you can find other ways to donate here.

Visit the stayinformed.com.au site for details on the webinars, information on what’s happening with the bushfires and useful support tools. And if you are interested in contributing your skills or ideas in the relief and recovery efforts, you can register your interest online.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone again who has worked to help our customers and communities during the crisis, for the extraordinary effort you’ve put in and the level of care you’ve shown people across the state.

Stay safe and please look after each other.

Elizabeth Mildwater

Acting Secretary