Free buses to bushfire thank you at Westerway

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FREE buses will run from several towns to take people to to o the Derwent Valley Bushfire Thank You Event this Saturday at Westerway Primary School.

Premier Will Hodgman and Police, Fire and Emergency Management Minister Michael Ferguson have invited the people of the Derwent Valley to celebrate the state's community spirit and the sustained effort of our emergency services and volunteers during the 2019 bushfires.

The free family-friendly event at Westerway is the last in a series of opportunities to allow people affected by last summer's bushfires to say thanks to the state's firefighters and other services who did such a great job during the emergency. Similar events have already been held at Miena, Zeehan and Geeveston.

Parking is limited in the area around the Westerway school so the organisers urge everyone to leave their car at home and take one of the free buses running from Lachlan, Molesworth, New Norfolk, Maydena and Ellendale. (See the schedule below)

The Derwent Valley Bushfire Thank You Event will let local residents show their thanks to those who protected and supported everyone, and continue to do so. These include:

• The people of the Tasmania Fire Service, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and Sustainable Timber Tasmania
• Tasmania Police and Tasmania SES workers who held key roles on the front line throughout the bushfires and helping the local communities through a tough time
• St John Ambulance, Tasmania Police and SES were some of the services that assisted with the bushfire response and evacuation centres throughout the fires.

The Westerway event is a chance for the entire community to say thank you to everyone who pulled together in response to the bushfires: emergency service staff, volunteers, community groups, councils, organisations and individuals.

Everyone in the community is invited to attend, especially those who contributed to the bushfire response and those who were affected by the bushfires, as well as those who would like to say thank you. The Tasmanian Government is hosting the event with the assistance of the Derwent Valley Council. ABC Radio, as the state’s official emergency broadcaster, will provide MCs for the event.

All food and activities will be free, including face painting, jumping castles, circus classes, craft, emergency service vehicles to explore, live music and entertainment, barbecue lunch, fruit and drinks. The event runs from noon until 3pm, with formalities at 1pm.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Hairyman, Christopher Coleman, Tiffany Eckhardt & Dave Steel and the Runaway Belles. Lucky door prizes will include vouchers to local cafes, a family pass to Bonorong Park, a Salmon Ponds voucher, an annual National Parks Pass, a family pass to Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs, a Maydena Bike Park guided ride, and more.

To book a place on one of the free buses, check out the timetable below to see when and where the buses will be running, and then register by emailing rsvp@dpac.tas.gov.au or calling 6232 7391 to let the organisers know which bus you want.

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Maydena: Bus leaving Mountain Cafe, 38 Kallista Rd, at 11.15am and arriving at Westerway at 11.45. Departing for Maydena at 3pm.
Ellendale: Bus leaving the Ellendale General Store, 935 Ellendale Rd, at noon, arriving at Westerway at 12.15pm. Departing for Ellendale at 3pm.
Molesworth: Bus leaving Molesworth Fire Station, 560 Molesworth Rd, at 11.30am, arriving at Westerway at 12.20pm. Departing for Molesworth via New Norfolk at 3pm.
New Norfolk: Buses leaving New Norfolk Central Bus Station, Laskey Car Park, Pioneer Avenue, at 11.15am and 11.50am,  arriving at Westerway at 11.45am and 12.20pm. Departing for New Norfolk at 3pm.
Lachlan: Bus leaving Lachlan Fire Station, 516 Lachlan Rd, at 11am, arriving at Westerway at 11.45am. Departing for Lachlan via New Norfolk at 3pm.