The ruthlessness of Australian summers has caused plenty of dangers and emergencies for the natural environment.
Peter Livitsanis is one of many who jumps into that danger and has done so for 35 years, including during the bushfire emergencies of 2009 and 2019/20.
His commitment in times of national emergencies is what helped him receive the honour of the National Emergency Medal.
“During my 35 years of involvement in fire management, and many, many other major fires, I have been involved in two such emergencies, the bushfires of 2009 and 2019/20. I am very proud to be recognised for my service and receive this honour along with my colleagues that I continue to serve with,” Mr Livitsanis told Neos Kosmos.
Mr Livitsanis currently serves as the Manager Regional Operations for Parks Victoria in Ballarat where he oversees managing park planning, community engagement and major project delivery in the west of the State.
“On a daily basis, I am managing staff, resolving issues, and managing business and administration functions. During summer, I am on a fire response roster and am involved in fire and emergency management in Incident Management Teams across the State,” the 56-yr-old said.
Mr Livitsanis has been with the agency since its inception in 1996, having prior worked for the National Parks Service, and has achieved much in his time.
“I was involved in the creation and establishment of Parks Victoria to protect areas of conservation significance for all Victorians. I’m most proud of my involvement in developing programs that link human health and wellbeing with a connection to nature,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“Parks Victoria’s Rangers are amazing story tellers and over my 35 years I’ve met and worked with many very colourful characters who inspire me with what they can get done with limited resources.”
In his time with the agency, he has also served numerous other roles including Area and District Manager roles, Manager Corporate Strategy, Manager Conservation Programs and Regional Director in Melbourne, Dandenong, Frankston and Ballarat.
One major concern for Mr Livitsanis that has only worsened during his career are the effects of climate change on our natural environments.
“The biggest challenge we face is the impacts of climate change. One of the biggest changes we are experiencing is the severity and frequency of major fires and storm events and the magnitude of the recovery programs required,” Mr Livitsanis said.
Mr Livitsanis is a second-generation Greek-Australian, with both his paternal grandparents meeting each other in Australia after immigrating here, and he maintains a closeness with his Hellenic roots.
“My Grandfather, Andreas Livitsanis, was from Kandila a small village on the west coast of Greece and my Grandmother, Dionysia Mavromates, was from Ithaca. They immigrated to Australia in the 1920’s and met/married here and had four children. I am the son of their third child, Demosthenes (Dennis),” he said.
“I am proud of my Greek heritage and feel a deep connection with Greece particularly since the passing of my father. I’m looking forward to travelling back to the family village again soon.”
