It all began to take shape in 1995 after a simple examination of how the organizations I worked with in the period following a crisis made the best use of their skills and resources. I was initially struck by some fundamental differences in the approaches taken and the outcomes achieved. I felt that if I could only understand why some things worked well while others did not, then I could assemble a check list of 'Things to do in the event...' which could be applied by organizations and decision makers that would lead to a better, cheaper and faster recovery. What emerged was far more exciting and full of promise than I had originally expected. I

I had already spent some five years assisting organizations rebuild and re-organize after fires, floods or some other severe disruption. I felt that much could be gained by having an understanding of a planning methodology that would improve the recovery rate and reduce overall costs, if not to ensure the very survival of the organization itself. I formed the Disaster Recovery Institute (Aust) Pty Ltd in April 1995 with the specific intention to work alongside, the Washington University based group, the Disaster Recovery Institute, (now the DRI International or DRII). However, the simple differences in the way Australians thought of risk - "She will be right mate!", and the lack of Capital funding meant that I was really not ready to embrace and promote the ideas put forward by the DRI, as they were, at that time.

The DRI later expanded to form the DRII (Disaster Recovery Institute International)