Somerset Lifetimes 2020

Blaze

AID

REBUILDING FENCES, REBUILDING LIVES The idea of losing all your worldly possessions is a devastating one but one that always seems distant and unimaginable. However, over summer of 2019/2020, due to the devastating fires that burned across Australia, this seemingly implausible event occurred for many Australians, some of whom were our farmers. In times like this, when our primary producers are hurting so much after long periods of dry, it is crucial we band together as a community to help and support them. One such group, is BlazeAid. The volunteer- based organisation helps families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters. The everyday people who volunteer for BlazeAid, work alongside landowners to rebuild fences and structures that have been damaged or destroyed and in doing so, rebuild their livelihoods. An equally important consequence of BlazeAid are volunteers who lift spirits

of those living in these disaster-affected areas. Eight Somerset students embarked on a journey to Nymboida, New South Wales in late January, to lend a hand to those people whose lives had been turned upside-down by the fires in November, 2019. We departed the Gold Coast hoping we could help those affected rebuild; however, by the time we returned home we realised the experience had achieved so much more. On the first day of the rebuild, we were faced with reconstructing a 150 metre stretch of fence on a generous incline, testing the fittest in the group. By the end of the day ‘the hill’ as it became known, had all given us a decent workout. Water bottles were in high demand. We were told the only people to admire a fence are those who build it. It’s true. It was a good-looking fence! Over lunch and a chat, we realised our presence among the broken community was more powerful than any ‘manpower’ we could have provided. Our youthful company brightened their day. Smiles were infectious. Although new to fence building, under the watch of our BlazeAid mentor Zol, and landowner Joe, we quickly learned the ropes to continue the next 350 metres. At the end of the day we had constructed a 500 metre fence using both barbed and normal wire. Rest and recreation was well earned by mid-Saturday afternoon; a side-trip to Red Rock for a swim was just what we needed. In this pristine waterway, we floated down the river before filling

Blaze Aid

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