Your chance to say a proper thank you to the frontline responders who saved Canberra from 2020’s summer of fire and flood

Posted on 8 March, 2022

How do we, as a city, thank our emergency services for their response to one of the most challenging and distressing events in our living memories—the 2019-2020 bushfire and storm season?

It was a time in which fires threatened our borders and blanketed us in smoke, and then a major hailstorm destroyed our houses, cars, and streets. ACT Government personnel and emergency services were our first responders, our front line, our rocks, and here’s your chance to say thank you.

The Australian National Emergency Medal Presentation Ceremony is due to take place on Monday 28 March, and event producers Damsel and Sprout are making a video to play on the night with members of the public thanking the responders that helped during that devastating summer.

They are looking for at least 40 people (but hopefully more) to send them a quick video shot on their phone of them saying thank you. This is the sort of video that connects the community with those selfless workers who literally never took a break the entire month.

Ideally, those Canberrans who received essential services during that time would add an element of emotion to the video. But we all benefitted from their work, so now is the time to brush off that shyness and get out the phone.

 Here are some technical details to keep in mind:

• Film landscape (not portrait)
• Check your camera settings to ensure you:
  • Record in at least at HD resolution (1920 x 1080)
  • Record at 25fps or 24fps (not 50fps or 60fps)

 Some tips for the message part of the exercise include:

• Keep it short. We need messages where you simply say “thank you”. But if you’d like to say a little more please limit your message to no more than 8 words, for example, “thank you for saving my house.”
• Think outside the box. You can either deliver your message simple and straight, or make it creative and interesting, for example: as part of a group, in native languages, holding up a sign, whilst jogging, in your office, with your kids—the sky’s the limit.

Videos should be sent to hello@damselandsprout.com.au by Wednesday 16 March.

And to those of you who take the time to say thank you, Damsel and Sprout says thank YOU! 

Feature image: Stock image