Australia fires: BlazeAid builds 5000km of farm fences, but work not over
As Australia heads into another bushfire season, we take a look at the life-changing work BlazeAid has achieved since last summer and what farmers and councils should do now to prepare.
DISASTER-AID charity BlazeAid completed more than three year’s worth of work in the past 12 months and rebuilt enough farm fences to cover the distance from Melbourne to Cooktown and back again, after last summer’s devastating bushfires.
As we head in to another fire season, BlazeAid president Kevin Butler said there’s “still a lot of work to be done”, but is encouraging volunteers and co-ordinators to take a break as sadly there’s “no doubt” their recovery efforts will be needed again this year.
More than 12,000 volunteers, from across the nation and the world, have worked on 5255 fire-hit properties in the last year to rebuild more than 5000km of fences, and clear nearly 4700km on top of that.
Not even a global pandemic could stop them, with strict coronavirus protocols and plans in place fortunately the virus did not enter any of the camps.
Giving the gift of a fence to keep in livestock – a farmer’s livelihood – can be life-changing.
“A lot of lives have been saved (through BlazeAid), a lot farmers couldn’t get out of bed because they were so depressed,” Mr Butler said.
“It can take 40 years to do all your fencing and it can be gone in 40 minutes.”
And while the charity’s focus is building fences, volunteers could be found cooking, delivering donated food and hygiene items to farmers.
“BlazeAid has the ability to gel a community together,” Mr Butler said.
He is urging councils across Australia to organise sports grounds and halls that can be used for BlazeAid base camps now to quicken the response amid the chaos if it’s needed this summer.
He is also warning farmers to be prepared and ensure fences, livestock and sheds are insured, and to watch the weather closely and move livestock into bare paddocks when appropriate.
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