Sorry, gone to blazes

Lawrie is a co-ordinator for BlazeAid, a volunteer-based organisation that helps rural communities rebuild after natural disasters.

More than 30 volunteers – mostly seniors – from all over Australia have travelled to the central western NSW town, which was devastated after catastrophic fires ripped through the region in early February.

“There’s a lot of volunteers here in their 60s and early 70s donating their time, including heaps of grey nomads,” said Lawrie, who has been with BlazeAid for six years.

He said the close-knit community has been left in a “complete mess” in the aftermath of the blaze, dubbed the Sir Ivan fire, which burned about 55,000 hectares of land, destroyed more than 30 homes and killed thousands of livestock.

Now the volunteers are helping farmers rip out and repair the estimated 6000km of fencing destroyed or damaged in the fires.

“Property owners have lost fencing, houses, stock, machinery, equipment... it’s a total wipe-out,” Lawrie said.

But despite the losses, he said the camaraderie among the volunteers and community was “magic”.

“No skills are needed. Seniors can still help, whether it's cooking for volunteers in the community kitchen, clearing the fence line or running wires. All they need is a willingness to go out and help. And we always say, they just need to work as much as they are capable of working.”

Kitchen volunteer Margaret Vale, 70, drove from nearby Coolah in her campervan to help with the relief effort.

“I've met many lovely seniors in motorhomes and tents who have come from all over Australia,” said Margaret, who has helped out on many disaster relief projects in NSW and after cyclones in Queensland.

“The expertise of the retirees up here is remarkable. We have a tool man who has set up an industrial workshop in a container and ‘Dingo M’, who can lay kilometres of fencing each day off the back of his truck.

“We’re mending fences for the farmers and sawing up old posts and pulling out burned fences.

“You ought to see this place. There are still lots of cattle walking around and I can’t believe there are buildings still standing.”

Margaret said more people were arriving at the BlazeAid Dunedoo camp by the day.

“It’s getting bigger and better, but the effort is only just beginning and more recruits will be sorely needed down the track.”

As well as local ladies clubs cooking dinner for the volunteers each day, the local CWA has been busy sourcing thousands of dollars in donations.

Lawrie said volunteers will always be needed, as the project is likely to go on for months.

“We could be here for up to six months. We supply all equipment and food for volunteers.”

Born out of the ashes of the Black Saturday fires, BlazeAid is a volunteer-based organisation that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods.

There are currently BlazeAid camps in Dunedoo, Cassilis and Bungendore in NSW and Birchip in Victoria.

Since 2012 more than 14,000 volunteers have worked for about 100,000 days helping 3870 properties.