Our first Week
What do Aussies do when there is a disaster ??
They roll up their sleeves and get in and help.
So when the road to Corryong was re-opened our plan came to fruition. We would roll up our sleeves and get in and help.
The Blaze Aid camp in Corryong was our intended target.
We put out a call for dog and cat food so we could leave some nice big bags of dry food for the hard working farm dogs and lazy sun loving cats. And yes, businesses and friends came to the fore. We were inundated with food, linen and funds.
So the caravan and ute was packed and we headed off. I must admit that the closer we got, the more apprehensive we became. As first time Blazeaiders we had no idea what to expect. But we had nothing to worry about. Our camp coordinators were helpful and friendly, and we soon discovered that we were not the only first timers.
A timetable is one thing that makes the day run smoothly so setting the alarm on the phone was a must for us. You also have to get comfortable with orange safety vests, wearing safety goggles, gloves, work boots and sunhat, and pinning on a name tag. But the name tag makes it so much more friendly as others can freely use your name and you can do the same. It makes it so welcoming when a fellow Blaze aider walks towards you and comments " g'day Lyn, how are you doing "
Who ever knew that pulling down a damaged fence would be so rewarding. But to know that you are doing something to help a fellow Aussie who is going through a tough time is heart warming.
We have met some wonderful people from the Corryong region who still have a positive attitude and are looking forward and not back!
One day our task was to head out to a farm near Pine Mountain, and tackle a lovely lady's garden. Her hubby was more concerned that her garden was tidied up before the farm fences were renewed. What a gorgeous husband.
The horrid finger of fire stretched through the garden but their house was saved. Chainsaws, wheelbarrows, rakes and secateurs soon made a difference to the outlook . Our hostess, Helen, was so friendly to these complete strangers who came en-masse to provide help. She was grateful for any amount of work that was done and soon rewarded us with a country style morning tea.
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| Pine Mountain |
A property along the Murray Valley Highway belonging to James, a vet from the Geelong region, was our next task. I'm pretty certain he was glad when our team rolled into his front paddock, all ready to erect a new front fence. Cattle on the roads can be a definite traffic problem so the priority is to make sure they are contained on the farms as soon as possible. We were very pleased as James and his farm worker Lou made certain that the tractors made short work of any heavy work.
Blaze Aid also have trailers fully equipped with very useful tools which make a fencing job easier to complete. James was very generous and at lunch time he headed off to the local bakery and returned loaded with freshly baked pies. We worked at this property for four days and it became our daily ritual for the ladies to head in to town for the lunchtime pie run.
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| A completed fence |
The one thing I have discovered is that you make so many friends along the way. James took all our email addresses and mobile numbers and Lou was determined that we would definitely catch up for a meal. Yes he knows our home town of Bendigo and visits quite often . But I have a feeling that we will see him in Corryong as we will be there for quite a while yet.
We have been so lucky to always work with a team of wonderful people. John, the environmental scientist/ engineer has such a great sense of humour and is respectful and accepting of all people. We had differing views on many subjects but I just told him to please close his ears so he could not hear my view. Andrew was a great team leader, very quiet but a great methodical worker who got the job done safely and quickly. We all learnt different aspects of farm fencing and how different tools worked. It was great to see that the women were not patronised or made to feel that they should not be out doing manual work.
Driving around the Corryong area opens your eyes to the devastation that the fire has caused. There are houses left sitting in denuded paddocks and surrounded by twisted metal which was once a proud machinery shed housing expensive tractors. Trees are tall stripped sticks but look closely and you may see small shoots of life coming back.
We were pleased to see flocks of yellow tail black cockatoos flying from tree to tree, or hear in the distance the laugh of the kookaburra.
The volunteers are a welcome site to the residents of Corryong and it is quite common to be patted on the back as you are walking along the street. These people value the help that is being given.
After a solid six and half days of work we decided that we would play tourist and head out to Khancoban. I took my camera but that was pointless as the smoke was very similar to a pea soup fog, hence there were no mountains to be seen.
So we found a coffee shop. A quiet cuppa and a bowl of wedges was just what was needed. Mind you, we are fed extremely well by Blaze Aid but we share meal time with roughly seventy others, so a quiet meal does not happen. Anyway there was only one other table that was occupied so it gave plenty of thinking time. The elderly man and woman, and younger woman finished their drinks and left the café , walking out into the very smoky atmosphere. With that the café owner wandered over to our table and asked if she could sit with us and have a chat. She was so friendly and had such a happy personality of course we said "yes, please do !"
She proceeded to tell us that the elderly man and woman were neighbours who had both lost their partners over the years so they went out together on social outings. Continuing on, she proceeded with, " they are both so grateful to the volunteers who have given their time to the region that they paid for your order so here is your $20 back "
So our quiet cuppa ended in happy and grateful tears.
We were also lucky enough to drop into a wildlife shelter. I had some food to drop in to him so after a chat we were invited in. To my surprise he had wombats in his lounge room and he offered me a nurse. Well come on now ! Would I refuse ? Hell no !. So I got to nurse a young wombat.
Now how awesome has this first week been. New friends made and new experiences were had. I never in my wildest dreams thought that volunteering for Blaze Aid would give me these opportunities
Looking forward to the rest of my time at Corryong
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| The Murray River |
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