BlazeAid: Properties mended, broken hearts healed after Macleay Valley bushfires
The end of the fence line has finally been reached for one of the Macleay Valley’s most inspirational community organisations. BlazeAid has called time on 10 months of mending broken hearts and burnt-down fences destroyed by last year’s ferocious fires across the mid-north coast: READ ABOUT THE RELIEF EFFORTS.
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Sherril Leach has spent every waking hour these past 10 months pouring her blood, sweat and tears into the Macleay Valley’s monumental bushfire recovery effort to help mend broken hearts and burnt-out fences.
The Camp Coordinator of the Willawarrin BlazeAid team, Ms Leach was tasked with putting hundreds of volunteers to work to help get farmers back on their feet and bring some life back to a community crippled by the most ferocious summer blazes ever felt across the Mid-North Coast.
In total, more than 420,000ha where burnt-out between August and March last year across the region.
And while BlazeAid’s Willawarrin camp will never be able to fully repair the damage done, this week the organisation met their targets of rebuilding more than 130km of fencing over 3963 volunteer days.
“Thanks to the large donations by businesses and companies and people, BlazeAid has been able to function and provide materials and labour to farmers that have lost everything” Ms Leach said.
“We’ve spent more than 3963 volunteer days fencing, and clearing, seven days a week. We’ve had visa holders, grey nomads all sorts of people living in a camp together, working together – many who’ve never built a fence in their life.”
BlazeAid began in Victoria in 2009 by the organisation’s chief, Kevin Butler. Mr Butler registered the BlazeAid organisation following some work he completed to help fix a neighbour’s fence which was destroyed by fire.
The company soon expanded into a national not-for-profit organisation, and was instrumental during last year’s NSW bushfire recovery efforts.
Mr Butler was warded the Commonwealth Points of Light beacon award this year by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for outstanding volunteerism.
Ms Leach said it has been an honour to work for the organisation that has made such a satisfying contribution to society.
“I think he [Mr Butler] just thought to himself ‘oh, that’s a great idea, why don’t I just try and help someone else.’”
“We’ve now grown to an organisation with between 26-28 active camps around Australia with grey nomads, international travellers you name it.
“For most people it’s been a process of learning on the job.
“Most volunteers didn’t know how to build a fence, but all training was provided and their was team leader for each team helping and taking responsibility. The now know how to use chainsaws and ‘whackerpackers’ - which are used to knock-in star picket fences.
“What we achieved here is amazing … we’ve fixed burnt-out boundary lines and cleared properties.
“Our biggest achievements in one day 1.06km of fencing.
“The self satisfaction and reward they have gotten from this is fantastic. There has not been one volunteer that said it wasn’t amazing or awesome.
“Yes it’s very overwhelming, the volunteers are covered in head to toe with ash, dirt and mud, but they’ve loved it.”
The Willawarrin camp has had more than 276 volunteers through its camp this year, who have helped rebuild more than 130km of fencing. In relative terms, that’s more than the equivalent distance from Kempsey to Taree.
The service was commemorated for their relief efforts last week by Kempsey Shire Council, at a civic function held at the Garden Bar at Frederickton.
The NSW Rural Fire Service is urging people to be bushfire ready and have a survival plan in place this season.
For more on how to be prepared, visit rfs.nsw.gov.au and complete all steps in the detailed bushfire survival plan.
