Over the last week of December and the first two weeks of January I travelled extensively throughout Victoria, for both work and pleasure.
I was a little surprised at how dry and bare some farms were, and the poor water levels in many dams.
Living in West Gippsland, where some green patches were still evident but now browning off, is a pleasure.
However, after recent fire events, it is also a bomb waiting to go off with enough length of grass next to, or surrounded, by bush or national parks and tree plantations.
Almost every day there is another news story of a fire, and while not all are in a rural areas, they are devastating none the less.
Almost all of Victoria is a tinder box waiting for a lightning strike, or worse, a pyromaniac to set a fire. The odd exception is East Gippsland, which is yet to have a total fire ban warning.
Why am I talking of fires, well it relates to the demise of my colleague, Murray Arnel, who lost his property in the Scotsburn fire, just prior to Christmas.
To be truthful, I have not been involved in post fire recovery before, but I was among a group of 20 or more who re-fenced and cleaned up at Murray’s over the weekend.
An email went out to Stock & Land personal, and the broader Fairfax Media community, arranging a day or two to help re-build.
I must admit, the level of support from within the rural community was amazing.
Ian Getsom was the organiser, as well as locals plus staff from Stock & Land, Ballarat Courier, and the regional office, all got down and dirty to make life a little easier for the Arnel family.
It was a hard and dirty toil in the 30-plus degree heat, boundary fences were replaced and many trees cleaned up and the garden too, but the after party was an eye-opener.
Locals who have been impacted by fire in the past, a local butcher supplying meat, the local supermarket saying take what you need, were just some of the people to assist.
Over numerous beers, and red wine, the camaraderie was fantastic, and some of the stories that evolved were enlightening, and some unprintable!
I have been through numerous fire affected areas in the past, but when a fire is a lot closer to home, that is when one realises just how much this unrequested assistance means.
There was not a person who left in a clean state, as the winds blew, the very fine dust covered sweaty bodies, and none more so than one of Murray’s nearest neighbours, Colin Smith.
The organiser Ian Getsom, has done this before, and knows how to get things going.
Ian was very good at getting people involved, but equally, Ian got down and dirty like everyone else.
Having a large group of locals who could put up fences saw two gangs working independently, and it wasn’t long before it started to look like a farm again.
Hard work, a smile, some jokes and laughter, can be some of the best cures for depression.
God only knows how some people get over such devastation, but friends, neighbours and even people you may not know, can aid a strong recovery.
Although I hope you never need to, I can only urge everyone to jump in and assist if needed, you will get a lot more out of it than you might think.
