ACM Media
“I look back on those days and wonder how we got through it,” says Eurobodalla Infection Prevention and Control Specialist Renee Wolfe, reflecting on the catastrophic event that reshaped her life.
Renee’s journey began at St Vincent’s Hospital, where she embarked on her career as an Enrolled Nurse after leaving school. Over the years, she nurtured a dream of furthering her education and becoming a Registered Nurse. However, life’s responsibilities postponed her aspirations.
In 2019, at the age of 43, Renee took the leap and enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Wollongong.
Excited yet apprehensive, she embraced the challenges of balancing study with family responsibilities. Little did she know that her resolve would soon be tested in unimaginable ways.
New Year’s Eve will forever be etched in Renee’s memory. The 2019-20 Australian bushfire season, or Black Summer, was one of the most intense and catastrophic fire seasons on record in Australia.
“On New Year’s Eve in 2019, a catastrophic fire swept through my little town of Mogo,” she recalls.
Renee and her husband fled their home with little more than the clothes on their backs, their two sons, and their two dogs.
The harrowing experience saw them trapped between two fires on a highway, forcing them to make a perilous decision. “Having to make a decision, we drove through the searing heat of the fire back into Mogo and huddled in our car,” Renee remembers.
When the fires subsided, they returned to their property to find their home and possessions reduced to ashes.
Aerial view of Renee Wolfe's Mogo property Nothing was left at all to salvage. When we returned on New Year’s Day to see the full extent of what had happened, I found some of my ducks and one of my chooks huddling in the corner of their pen. They are tough little things.
Renee Wolfe
The aftermath of the fire brought overwhelming challenges. Renee’s family faced homelessness, moving five times in six months and living out of suitcases. “We made do with such generous donations of shoes and clothing.”
Despite losing her laptop and university work in the fire, Renee resolved to continue her studies. “I made a decision to keep going,” she says.
With a borrowed laptop and makeshift living conditions that included a shipping container and tents, she embarked on her second year of university.
“I began my second year of my degree on a borrowed laptop which I rested on my lap to do my work as I did not own a desk - and nor would it fit in our makeshift housing.”
“Conditions were rough,” Renee recalls. “We moved back to our block and were forced to live in a shipping container and tents on our property. We had no heating in winter, no cooling in summer. It was one of the hardest times of our lives.”
A series of setbacks, including a cabin flooding incident and a ruptured appendix, tested her resilience further. Yet, Renee remained steadfast, driven by the desire to create a better future for her family.
“It was such a difficult time and very difficult for my family while I was away for long periods of time to complete my mandatory student placements. Leaving them in rough conditions was hard but I had the drive to complete my degree to better my family’s life.”
In 2021, Renee and her husband Peter took on the challenge of rebuilding their home as owner-builders. Juggling work, university studies, and construction - often working late into the night - they slowly rebuilt their lives.
“We were working during the day, doing uni work at night and then whilst everyone else slept my husband I worked on our new home, sometimes until 2-3am.”
By the end of that year, Renee achieved a major milestone: she completed her nursing degree and moved into her newly rebuilt home.
Renee has recently been promoted to Infection Prevention and Control Specialist Nurse for the Eurobodalla. She is pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Infection Prevention and Control with Griffith University, continuing her commitment to professional growth.
Kelly Anne Knight, Infection Prevention Clinical Nurse Consultant, shares her admiration for Renee’s journey: “Renee is a powerhouse, she is so dedicated to her family and her career. She brings a very positive and upbeat energy to our team.”
“I’ve known Renee for years. Our sons played rugby together when they were kids. I remember the boys playing a fundraiser in Braidwood, in very stinky mud, and just how positive Renee was even after everything she and her family had just been through.”
Mogo Bushwalk The Black Summer fires touched so many of our staff, and it’s heartening to see renewal and rebuilding happening within our team and community.
Kelly-Anne Knight
“Hard work has paid off,” Renee reflects. “I am proud of how far we’ve come.”