Monday, February 11, 2013

Blaze Aid

As I was between jobs at the time, I volunteered to spend a few days helping out a really worthwhile charity group in Maffra, this week.  This organisation gathers volunteer workers and donated materials & equipment and goes to help farmers all over Australia to rebuild their fences when they have been burnt out by bush fires.  I had offered to help out in the office, which did take up most of the time, but they wanted me to spend one day out in the field.


Cliff - the coordinator of BlazeAid in Maffra
- rarely off the phone!
Lori - the office manager I went to help
- struggling to keep up with the administration!
The volunteers in the kitchen, preparing three meals a day for the workers
A substantial breakfast is provided to all the volunteers
Some of the workers, at morning briefing
before going out into the field
Some of the donated equipment required
The volunteers came from all over the country
setting up camp at the Maffra football ground,
some of them bringing their dogs with them.
Me (2nd on left) in my gorgeous overalls, with some of the volunteers
We headed off early to the burnt-out farmer's property,
with the fires still burning over the horizon
What's left of this farmers fences,
burnt out a couple of days before
The fires tore through this area
Bones of some of the stock caught up against the fences

First we had to clear out the burnt wire and pull up the damaged pickets
Then hammer-in the reused or new pickets
Me, attaching the new fencing wire to the pickets - it was a very hot day!
One of the other volunteers near some burn out ground
One of the volunteers brought this back from the property he was working at -
it's the engine of a car that was caught in the fires!
The black soot everywhere made us all filthy,
but I felt good that I had been able to help this farmer!