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.
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Cliff - the coordinator of BlazeAid in Maffra
- rarely off the phone! |
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Lori - the office manager I went to help
- struggling to keep up with the administration! |
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| The volunteers in the kitchen, preparing three meals a day for the workers |
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| A substantial breakfast is provided to all the volunteers |
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Some of the workers, at morning briefing
before going out into the field |
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| Some of the donated equipment required |
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The volunteers came from all over the country
setting up camp at the Maffra football ground,
some of them bringing their dogs with them. |
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| Me (2nd on left) in my gorgeous overalls, with some of the volunteers |
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We headed off early to the burnt-out farmer's property,
with the fires still burning over the horizon |
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What's left of this farmers fences,
burnt out a couple of days before |
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| The fires tore through this area |
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| Bones of some of the stock caught up against the fences |
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| First we had to clear out the burnt wire and pull up the damaged pickets |
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| Then hammer-in the reused or new pickets |
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| Me, attaching the new fencing wire to the pickets - it was a very hot day! |
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| One of the other volunteers near some burn out ground |
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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! |
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The black soot everywhere made us all filthy,
but I felt good that I had been able to help this farmer! |
