Beyond building fences

AFTER a bushfire, there’s a group that gets approached by councils to respond to needs on the ground, especially for farmers.

The volunteer organisation is called BlazeAid, setting up camps in rural areas, rounding up proactive helpers, rebuilding fences and emotionally supporting the local communities impacted.

After the recent fire at Lexton, BlazeAid was called to action. Bruce Hindson, a volunteer who travelled down from the Mallee, became camp coordinator at the site just before Christmas.

“I liaise with farmers, run the camp, do the finances… Get assistance with the kitchen that needs running and the volunteers that need feeding,” he said.

“Because resources are limited, we’ve got the Lions Club assisting us and they’ll get a roster going with other service clubs and take it in turns to feed the volunteers, so it becomes a community effort there.”

Over 120 people have been through the camp so far, from near and further afield.

“The volunteers are from all over. We’ve got a French fireman out here… Backpackers… Grey nomads,” Mr Hindson said.

“Some come and spend a day and go, some spend a couple of days and some spend weeks there, so it’s a variety.”

He emphasised that BlazeAid might seem, on the surface, to just be about re-establishing fences, but there’s much more to the initiative.

“You might find that a farmer looks at [the land] and all he can see is ruin, and that can be daunting. It’s aiding the community to get back on its feet, not just about building fences,” Mr Hindson said.

There are BlazeAid camps opening in Gippsland and north east Victoria that will need volunteers and quality donated items.

But the Lexton fire was of a different nature, and hands have been needed more than goods.

“It mainly affected farmlands, whereas some of the other fires have affected people’s homes,” he said.

“People want to bring gifts and goods, but BlazeAid at this camp, we don’t need clothing and blankets. It varies from fire to fire, so as much as we appreciate it, it needs to be directed to the right places.”

Based out of Kilmore, BlazeAid rose from Black Saturday’s ashes.

“It’s purely a charity, it runs on donations. Kevin Butler got burnt out in 2009, he was a farmer, people came to help him, and he thought, ‘I need to help other farmers,’ and that’s how it started,” Mr Hindson said.

Any volunteers can contact [email protected] to register their interest before travelling to the site, and ensure the camp isn’t already at capacity.

Mr Hindson apologises to those who have contacted the group and not had any return correspondence, but volunteers will be getting back to emails as soon as they can.

Visit blazeaid.com.au/lexton-2019 for more information.