SES volunteers reach isolated Dolphin Sands resident down to last crackers

A Dolphin Sands woman was down to rice crackers and tuna left in her cupboard until SES volunteers arrived with supplies, while waiting for a key road to re-open following a devastating bushfire.

SES volunteers welfare check helps Dolphin Sands resident Vicki Jones as her supplies were running low having been isolated on her property since Thursday due to the devastating bushfires. Picture: Vicki Jones

Dolphin Sands resident Vicki Jones had been isolated on her property with only her orange cat Tom for company since a bushfire swept through on Thursday — until SES volunteers knocked on her door.

Ms Jones considers herself one of the lucky ones, saying only embers had reached her property and staying connected to electricity through her home’s solar power.

“To have the SES arrive when I was down to dry rice crackers and tuna for lunch, I was just really lucky,” Ms Jones said.

“I feel almost guilty. I’m fine but people lost so much and there’s people in the community suffering terribly.”

The SES workers restocked her with the essentials of milk, bread, veggies and bananas, returning to her property having earlier heard her supplies were running low.

SES Tasmania said approximately 40 volunteers from the Glamorgan-Spring Bay Unit and other southern teams had been involved in the Dolphin Sands response undertaking a range of tasks from rapid impact assessments to welfare checks and logistics, including delivering meals and supplies to firefighters on the front line.

“Their support has been critical in supporting members of the public, as well as gathering information to assist with the planning of relief and recovery action by the federal, state and local governments,” SES Tasmania said.

19 homes or shacks on the East Coast peninsula were destroyed, others suffering heat and fire damage and many more dealing with no electricity after numerous power poles were damaged.

“I’m so lucky to be far away enough to only get some embers, everything is fine at my property,” she said.

“I just feel so terrible for everyone else.”

Ms Jones spent her time isolated writing the Great Oyster Bay Community Newsletter, saying the weekly newsletter was important in a community with a large elderly population where many don’t have access to social media.

The latest edition’s set to hit shelves and be available on Tuesday includes two pages of resources for those impacted by the bushfire.

She said access to information had been difficult, particularly when the TasAlert app she’s had on her iPhone 7 for two years stopped working recently due to being an unsupported device.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s road reopening announcement, Ms Jones said she was frustrated by the lack of information on Dolphin Sands Road closure.

She said she had been kept informed on the latest fire situation through the area’s Facebook page, saying Robyn Moore had been “fantastic” to keep us informed.

Originally published as SES volunteers reach isolated Dolphin Sands resident down to last crackers