Two Yukon First Nations firefighters are travelling to Australia, where they will connect with and provide support to Aboriginal groups battling bushfires.

“Any time you get a chance to take part, and help out people that are in need … it’s very important that we see these opportunities,” Chad Thomas told the Star.

Thomas is the CEO of Yukon First Nations Wildfire. He embarked on Thursday with Jordan Profeit, the organization’s sustained action resource manager.

The pair is travelling to the New South Wales region, on the south-eastern coast of Australia, where they will stay for two weeks.

Australia has experienced an unprecedented fire season in recent months. According to a recent CNN report, New South Wales has seen the destruction of 3,000 homes, with 28 people dead nation-wide.

Thomas’ and Profeit’s trip to the region was planned in collaboration with Tahltan Strong, a volunteer group formed in 2018 to fundraise for recovery efforts following the Telegraph Creek fire that summer.

According to Jacqueline Shorty, Tahltan Strong’s co-founder, the trip is intended to aid other nations affected by bushfires, the impacts on which have gone generally unreported.

“There was a lot of coverage about the animals, and the fact that they’ve lost so many animals to the fire, but in addition to that, the one thing that we didn’t see any coverage on was about the Indigenous communities,” Shorty told the Star.

“Here in the Yukon, we have our traditional lands and we have ties to the land, so it was important to us to find out what was happening with the Indigenous people in Australia.”

Tahltan Strong reached out to the Yuin peoples of New South Wales through the organizers of a traditional ceremony taking place earlier this winter.

Through that connection, a decision was made between Tahltan Strong and the Yuin to co-ordinate fundraising and relief efforts with Yukon and northern B.C. First Nations. 

The plan was met with support from Grand Chief Peter Johnston of the Council of Yukon First Nations and Regional Chief Kluane Adamek of the Assembly of First Nations.

According to Shorty, one of the trip’s key objectives is to gather information about the Aboriginal communities in the area: the state of their traditional territories, gravesites and sacred places.

Thomas and Profeit will connect with the Yuin people, including members of the non-profit Ripe Mentoring and the Firestick Alliance Indigenous Corporation. The corporation’s mandate is to re-invigorate cultural burning as a method of fire and land management.

Thomas says the visit will involve information gathering that could help Yukon First Nations Wildfire plan for the upcoming fire season.

“The Aboriginal people have an amazing connection to fire on the landscape, and traditional burning methods, so that’s something that really excites us,” Thomas said.

“We want to learn more about that, and see if there’s a way we can help each other out with exchanging information.”

Thomas and Profeit will investigate opportunities for Yukoners to provide relief to the Yuin Nation.

This could include sending a troupe of firefighters to help, and Thomas said he and Profeit packed their firefighting gear with a willingness to join fighters on the ground.

“They’re in desperate need,” Thomas said. “They’ve had volunteer firefighters going for more than six weeks, and fatigue is starting to set in.”

Thomas and Profeit are both experienced in wildfire management. They were members of the team fighting the Telegraph Creek fire in 2018.

“Me and Jordan have been in a lot of chaotic situations, so bringing our gear seems like a no-brainer for us,” Thomas said.

“So, if we get into a situation, we’ll be able to pan out all right, and help out any way we can.”

They will also investigate potential beneficiaries for Tahltan Strong fundraising efforts.

Shorty said Tahltan Strong is planning a two-day benefit concert for the end of March, with proceeds going directly toward beneficiaries scouted with the help of Thomas and Profeit.

The concert will take place at the Yukon Convention Centre, thanks to a donation of the space by Northern Vision Development. It will feature artists and musicians from around the Yukon, including members of the Telegraph Creek community who are eager to pay it forward. 

Tahltan Strong is currently recruiting volunteers to help organize the event. The group’s goal is to meet on Wednesdays until the concert takes place. Interested volunteers are invited to reach out through Shorty’s Facebook page. 

On Jan. 25, Ripe Mentoring is planning an Umbarra Black Duck Corroboree fundraiser in New South Wales. It will include traditional dance and a yarning and healing circle.

Shorty hopes to plan a ceremonial dance in the Yukon for the same time, to bring the peoples together in ceremony from across the globe. Nyla Migwans, Carl Carpentier and Marl Rutledge are the lead for the ceremony.

Yukoners are also encouraged to visit the fundraiser’s Eventbrite page to donate directly to Ripe Mentoring and the Yuin Nation.

A send-off for Thomas and Profeit took place on Tuesday with drumming and singing at Elijah Smith Elementary School. The pair was gifted with traditional medicines to take on their journey: tobacco, devil’s club, cedar and sweetgrass.

Thomas said he and Profeit are excited to represent the Yukon internationally.

“We can’t stress enough about how this is a learning expedition: going and learning with an open mind and being respectful to those folks that are there,” he said.

“We’re really hoping that when we come back, we’ll have a refreshed outlook on what we’re going to be doing.”