Hollywood to the rescue

For the PhD which she was awarded in 2004, Jessica Freame studied Hollywood film stars and the American homefront during World War II. The six actors she researched in detail were Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
Some ten years on, Dr Freame is Director of Relief and Recovery at Emergency Management Victoria, having worked her way up in the Victorian public service.
Starting as a graduate entrant in the Education Department, she had stints in health and as a resource strategist writing the policy behind budget bids, before moving back to the Department as an executive adviser.
“This was fascinating work,” Dr Freame says. “Being an adviser is a great way to get exposure to senior management, and I learnt a lot.”
It was at this time, after the 2009 Victorian bushfires, that Dr Freame moved into emergency management when her boss in the Education Department was asked by the then Premier to set up the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority (VBRRA).
“I was literally working on education policy on the ninth of February, and advising the first CEO of VBRRA on the tenth,” Dr Freame says.
“To be so closely involved in the recovery effort following the unprecedented devastation of the Black Saturday fires provided me invaluable experience.”
Following the closure of VBRRA at the end of June 2011, and before taking up her current role as Director of Relief and Recovery with Emergency Management Victoria, Dr Freame established and managed the Fire Recovery Unit in Regional Development Victoria. She has since worked on recovery efforts for emergencies such as the 2010–11 and 2012 floods, the 2013–14 fires, and the Hazelwood Mine Fire in 2014.
It has not been until recently that Dr Freame consciously considered the importance of her PhD studies and their relevance to the work she does as a senior bureaucrat in emergency management.
“I’ve come to realise that I’ve always been interested in how people and communities function in times of crisis, and that this interest has been a consistent feature threading through my undergraduate degree studies, to my thesis, and throughout my career.”
Dr Freame’s experience puts paid to the sometimes-expressed belief that generalist degrees, particularly in the humanities, don’t lead directly to career outcomes. They can, and they do.
“In my undergraduate studies, I majored in English and cultural studies, and history,” Dr Freame says. “I particularly liked 20th century history, and focused on the impact of big events on society and people.
“As a humanities student, I needed to be well versed in the subject matter I was exploring, but I also needed to be an open and effective communicator and writer.”
These qualities, in combination with empathy and understanding of how people respond during and after times of crisis, have earned Dr Freame praise and recognition from stakeholders and colleagues alike.
“Jess has so much experience to bring to the role of Director of Relief and Recovery,” says Lisa Gibbs, the Deputy Director in the Jack Brockhoff Child Health and Wellbeing Program in the University of Melbourne’s School of Population and Global Health.
“She understands the complexity of the issues, values the contribution of research to decision-making, is highly competent and, most importantly, is sensitive to the issues being experienced by communities and community members post-disaster.”
Dr Freame argues that what students learn in the pursuit of a humanities degree can open up a range of job opportunities.
“I loved doing my PhD in history, and it is a huge part of who I am today and my success at work.”
shaps.unimelb.edu.au
beyondbushfires.org.au
emv.vic.gov.au