Our recent brush with bushfire in Western Australia (12 January blog) brought an uncomfortable feeling: being a tourist in the vicinity of fires while others are fighting fires or defending their property. So when Rick needed to make an unexpected trip back to New South Wales, I took myself off for a week to the Grass Patch Blaze Aid camp north of Esperence. The camp, one of several around Australia, helps farmers re-fence after bushfires and other natural disasters. The work involves removing burnt fences from treelines (lots of rolling of fences – see below) and erecting new fences when farmers are ready. In response to the Blaze Aid volunteers’ work, the Grass Patch camp has generated a mini tornado of generosity from locals and others further afield: delicious home baked cakes and meals; service clubs picking up the food tab at the local supermarket; Australia-wide donations to purchase trailers, chainsaws and other fencing equipment; and locals lending 4WDs to enable teams, plus their trailer, to travel to farming properties. A further extraordinary expression of appreciation from the farmers being assisted, saw the entire Blaze Aid team being shouted a boat trip around the Bay of Isles followed by lunch at a local restaurant. Truly humbling that others will give you so much when you are there to help them: testimony, I believe, that Blaze Aid is supporting a community in the way that they need. What a privilege to be involved and, as often happens, you set out to make a contribution only to find that you receive more in return.
An ode to Blaze Aid fence removal (to be sung to the tune of Rawhide)
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Blaze Aid
We’re rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Though the fence is stubborn
Keep them fences movin’, Blaze Aid
Don’t try to leave ’em stand in’
Just cut ‘em an’ roll ’em
Soon we will heave ‘em to the side
Cut ’em out, push ‘em down
Push ‘em down, cut ‘em out
Cut ’em out, push ‘em down
Blaze Aid
Snip ’em up, drag ‘em out
Drag ‘em out, snip ‘em up
Snip ’em up, drag ‘em out
Blaze Aid
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’
Blaze Aid
Roll ‘em up, Blaze Aid
parrygraphs 
Oh, and good on you for getting involved. Great effort.
Hi Rosemary
It was a valuable experience. Yes, I met Ron. We sat next to each other for the lunch, which was nice as we hadn’t connected much over the previous week that I was there. Just a few more days and I have to end my WA experience and get back across the Nullabor.
Cheers,
Karen
HI Karen, for some reason I have only just seen this post of yours.
Blazeaid is a wonderful organisation. Ray and I worked in Victoria for about 6 weeks 10 or so years ago when they had terrible fires. We were based at Kilmore and sometimes drove 50 or more kilometres to reach our place of work.
One day we went “cold calling” and handed out quilts which had been made by our local quilting group.
For us it was the best time in our life, being able to help fencing and clean up for them. For a number of years we would receive a message for Christmas from a family we helped which brought a tear to my eye.
Volunteering is one of the nicest things one can do, and you get so much out of it, heaps more than you put in. If we were able we would still be out there helping.