Well done Weeds. That is a great thing you and your family have done. Can you post up the logistics of doing something like this.
How did you apply
How long did they take to reply and how long do you have to mobilise. Do you get to choose the area you go to.
Do you stay in Your camper at the show ground or similar. When they feed you breakfast and dinner is it a communal gathering of everyone ie property owners and volunteers or just the volunteers etc.
Interested in the behind the scenes aspect. Do you have anymore photos. Thanks.
I didn’t take many pics.....
Re applying. Go onto website and there is a page that list the current camps, the camp coordinator number is listed, just call and have a chat, they just need to know the day before arriving
They get back to you pretty quick, I left a message than sent a text, this worked well as there was ooor reception, one bar of 3g for Telstra.
You can choose the camp, we first rang Casino and due to holidays they had too many volunteers, I think this is a rarity that they have too many. . I started driving to nymboida before they got back to me. Nymboida had four combat trailer with only enough volunteers for three to be out fencing.
Most camps are at a show grounds or public park, for nymboida its at the canoe Centre and there is powered sites, water and shower/toilet block. Volunteers don’t pay for the powered sites. We stayed in our camper on a non powered site, had a tent up for our son.
Re: feeding
hot and cold breakfast started at 6:30am for 1/2 hour. It buffet style with the volunteers that choose to join in. Most seemed to have breakfast as the muster/safety briefing is at 7am which everybody has to attend to sign on and see your allocation. Dinner is much the same arrangement, 6:30pm. No farmer attended breakfasts or dinner while we were there. We went to a local pub for dinner one night, just have to let the chief cook know. They fully support buying food locally and eating out locally.
Lunch, they have stuff out next to breakfast to make your own either sandwiches or take away container. The website mention farmer offering lunches but I suspect this is a rarity. We provided our own lunch, and made them fresh at the job. Our camp had an ice machine and amnesty for each team for lunch’s and water.
The local council was picking up the food bill.
The thing we did find was how welcoming they are when you arrive....keep in mind Blazeaid will be doing this for at least 12 months....or more at each area. Even on your last morning they acknowledge your help at the muster.
How our day looked
6am up
6:30 communal breakfast, filled water (we took a 10L water cooler thingy
7am muster
7:30 at property
10 ish smoko
12 ish lunch
2 ish knock off, the property we were on had the nymboida running though it and the property owner was happy for us to go for a swim.
Keep in mind you are a volunteers, go st the pace your comfortable with. We kept up some other didn’t which is fine. Gotta remember some of the team leader have been doing it every day for two months. Pulling a strand of wire up to a couple of hundred meters gets you huffing and puffing, and there is four to do. Than knocking in 130 steel posts with a petrol driver is also taxing. You can do as little or as much as you like.
Re: tools, everything is provided although if you have a spare dollar or I’d buy a good quality set of wire cutters, beginners are always cutting twitching wire and stripping wire. I bought seven pairs and donated them, starting price was $90 but they quickly dropped the price to $72, having these were a god send. The only other tool I wish I had brought was fencing pliers, just saves waiting or trying to find one of the two in the trailer
Your do need sturdy boots and I suggest long sleeve shirts and wide brim hat.
Good fitting leather riggers gloves you’ll need, there can be a shortage of these at camps. I took 3 x 12 packs (M, L, XL) and donated the rest
You’re supposed to wear a hi-vis vest, I had hi-vis shirt but my wife and son found the extra layer of a vest just made it hotter. It strange being in a heavily treeed area where the trees have no leaves. In the middle of summer equals very hot.
In short, if you commit time they’ll take you on, we got a good team leader day 1 which set us up for the next four days, so much that in day four when we knocked off at 9:30 I went to day 1 team leader new property to continue, and sure enough he was ringing wet in sweat and needed a hand.
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