Blazeaid

[Hewy54]

As a result of a post on this forum back in December, I started volunteer work with Blazeaid.
With our membership approaching 20,000 I thought it would be nice to give a shout out to any members who may be interested in giving some of their time to this amazing organisation.
A bit of background info:
Blazeaid was started in 2009 in Victoria after the Black Saturday fires. A farmer, Kevin Butler, needed 5 km of fencing done to contain his stock so put an ad in the local paper. 25 volunteers rebuilt his fences in a week, a job that would have taken him 3 months. They then moved on to other properties to help those in need. 7 years later, 55 camps have been set up and 6000 km of fencing has been cleared and 4500 km of fencing rebuilt.
It is all funded by donations with NO govt funding.
If any members here can give time, look up the Blazeaid website to see if there is a camp near you. All equipment and food is supplied.
I am currently working 5 days a week at the Roseworthy campus site in SA rebuilding after the Pinery fires. So far we have cleared 300 km and rebuilt 80 km, but need more volunteers desperately.
To help some of these farmers is an incredibly worthwhile and satisfying experience.
Would be nice to meet some other Myswaggers out at Roseworthy.

[Snapman007]

Well done Hewy. 👍🏻👍🏻



www.blazeaid.com

[Bird]

There are many ways to be involved, and you don't have to do fulltime etc...

I've done many weekends with the 4wd Victoria groups too, although they are usually too busy with their head up their arse and officialdom etc, we usually are already working by the time they get their Shit together.

We've done fencing like Hewy, and also simple things like unloading B-doubles from all over the place that were coming into St Vinnies at Rowville and then delivering trailer loads of stuff to where ever it was needed...

[Nomad]

That's a great effort. I bet there is some very thankful farmers because of you blokes. Well done 

[Bird]

That's a great effort. I bet there is some very thankful farmers because of you blokes. Well done 

Major warm and fuzzys.

The family we helped, the father/hubby was in The Alfred with 50-80% burns after he went to move a small paddock of animals from no more than 300mtrs from the house down the hill, and a wind change came through and owned him...

We turned up and the wife and kids were sorta freaked out - they didn't know we were coming..
Anyway we cut down trees all round the farm house, stacked it, while another group was down bottom ripping out old fences etc.

The wife called us all up at lunchtime for a massive feast.. Roast Beef + Roast Lamb or pork cant remember, salads, roast spuds, everything - all the trimmings, beers, coffees, softys you name it...  Beat the peanut butter sangas I'd taken!!! Country people are just like that though - awesome people..


But then...
Bad juju - the bloke across the road had gone out and bought all new fencing poles, and wire and put them out where they needed to go for his massive farm... And some **** stole it all overnight - he said it could only be one of the other farmers down the dead end road from his place.. Hope he found out who it was and shot em.

[Hewy54]

Lots of warm fuzzies and some amazing stories from the fires - the guy who could not get his car started to get out so was on the phone to his wife to say goodbye when the plane bombed is house and saved him. The 4 guys who took refuge in a shed and barely survived as he fire jumped them - they nearly did not make it as the fire sucked all the oxygen out of the building.
The persistent comment from nearly all the farmers - we only need a little help as there are probably more people out there that need more help than us.
Has been a life changing experience for me.

[Draggin]

Yep and the warm 'n' fuzzies continue for years,

I did 3 weeks with the Hamilton Tasmania crew back in 2012, The farmers were fantastic and as above the families went out of their way to feed us and show us their secret spots for camping and fishing on the properties.

It really is a rewarding endeavour.

If you have half a chance - give it a crack, you don't have to be fit and strong, just prepared to have a go.

[Traveller]

My wife and I have been involved with Blazeaid, and also the flood equivalent, and can only agree with everything that has been said. The first time we helped out had me feeling good for weeks. Not only do the property owners appreciate the effort put in by volunteers, we have found that they can't believe that people outside their community actually give a rats about their problems.

We helped clear up on one property (and it wasn't all that much work), and the small holdings farmer told us over lunch (whilst fighting back tears) that they had been so depressed by their predicament that they had been very close to walking off the property as it was all getting to much. After the volunteers had been, the farmer and wife seemed to be reinvigorated and were actually looking forward to getting their lives back on track. For us it meant big personal rewards for little effort.

I can only recommend you give it a go.

[Bird]

My wife and I have been involved with Blazeaid, and also the flood equivalent, and can only agree with everything that has been said. The first time we helped out had me feeling good for weeks. Not only do the property owners appreciate the effort put in by volunteers, we have found that they can't believe that people outside their community actually give a rats about their problems.

We helped clear up on one property (and it wasn't all that much work), and the small holdings farmer told us over lunch (whilst fighting back tears) that they had been so depressed by their predicament that they had been very close to walking off the property as it was all getting to much. After the volunteers had been, the farmer and wife seemed to be reinvigorated and were actually looking forward to getting their lives back on track. For us it meant big personal rewards for little effort.

I can only recommend you give it a go.

[Rumpig]

My wife and I have been involved with Blazeaid, and also the flood equivalent, and can only agree with everything that has been said. The first time we helped out had me feeling good for weeks. Not only do the property owners appreciate the effort put in by volunteers, we have found that they can't believe that people outside their community actually give a rats about their problems.

We helped clear up on one property (and it wasn't all that much work), and the small holdings farmer told us over lunch (whilst fighting back tears) that they had been so depressed by their predicament that they had been very close to walking off the property as it was all getting to much. After the volunteers had been, the farmer and wife seemed to be reinvigorated and were actually looking forward to getting their lives back on track. For us it meant big personal rewards for little effort.

I can only recommend you give it a go.

have to agree exactly with what you wrote...I have been involved in several flood clean ups myself aswell as other relief stuff, and the elderly owners of the house we cleaned up in Bundaberg for instance were just overwhelmed with their whole situation. We (about half a dozen members of my 4wd club) managed to clean their house up in a weekend, and the relief for the home owners was noticed immediately. They didn't have a clue how they were going to sort out the mess, but when we left they had a smile on their face and were looking toward the future. We were rewarded with a small thank you present each several weeks later on from them (a commemorative Bundy bottle with the flooded streets name on it) but the feeling we got from helping them out in a time of need was reward enough really.

[Traveller]

but the feeling we got from helping them out in a time of need was reward enough really.

Just paying it forward