ÐÓ°É´«Ã½

On 18 January 2003, Canberra experienced the most devastating bushfire in its history. Catastrophic conditions created a firestorm that destroyed over 500 homes, injured hundreds, and saw four people lose their lives. This included 74-year-old Peter Brabazon Brooke.

Peter's son, Garry Brooke, has generously donated $1 million to The Australian National University (ANU), to establish the Peter Brabazon Brooke Bushfire ÐÓ°É´«Ã½ Fund in memory of his late father and all victims of bushfires in Australia.

"[I felt] a need to contribute to work on bushfires," says Garry. "The best a donor can achieve is to make a difference - and I hope my donation enables things to be done that wouldn't have been possible otherwise."

The objective of the Peter Brabazon Brooke Bushfire ÐÓ°É´«Ã½ Fund is to increase both practical and theoretical understanding of bushfires. With ferocious bushfires increasing in frequency, enabling this research is more important than ever.

"Right now is a crucial time for research into bushfires," says Garry. "Australia may be heading for a turn of climate, towards drought, and that brings an increased risk of bushfires. I think research will help us prepare for that risk.

"The more I have talked with the researchers, the happier I feel about my donation. In practical terms, it was quite easy to make the donation - it is the researchers and developers who now have the hard work achieving results. But, I hope that my donation makes that work a little easier."