While the bushfires currently raging across many parts of New South Wales are making headlines, the volunteer grey nomads who helped those affected by last season’s blazes are quietly being thanked.
The BlazeAid organisation estimates that 75% of the 3,500-plus people who volunteered to help farmers rebuild fences after fires and floods on Australia’s east coast last summer were grey nomads.
The volunteers worked on a total of 810.properties following the fires in Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria, and the floods in Queensland.
“Altogether they did 29,670 volunteer days and that’s absolutely incredible,” BlazeAid’s Mary Howarth told the ABC. “And the fencing cleared was 1,350 kilometres, and rebuilt was 1460 kilometres, so that’s a lot of work.”
Meanwhile, firefighters are preparing for a busy few months ahead. Temperatures of above 30 degrees combined with strong winds to fan dangerous bushfires in New South Wales, where homes were lost and evacuations required.
The state is in for a tough summer with Sydney posting its mildest winter and highest year-to-date temperatures in more than 150 years of records.
The Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre last week warned in its Southern Australia Bushfire Outlook that most of eastern NSW, ACT and western Victoria could expect above-average fire activity this summer.
The forest fire danger index rose the most between 1973 and 2010 in south and southeast Australia, with some of the largest proportional increases in coastal areas.
Have you volunteered to help after some of Australia’s recent natural disasters? Comment below.
Volunteers. Without them where would we be.
I recall a moment on the Ray Hadley Show where a lady from some little country town was being praised for her contribution to the local hospital. Turns out this lady virtually on her own had run the hospital raised funds the whole shooting match. Bedpans, dressing wounds, admin, every position in the hospital that she could help with.
For how long had she volunteered?
Over Fifty years, unpaid and for her community. Sometimes seven days a week to cover sickness and holidays of paid staff.
Maybe these people deserve the accolades more than our overpaid put on a pedestal sports stars.
These are the people who should get Australian of the year or person of the year in their state. Not some high profile personalities that currently receive the awards
We did some fence work in Qld for Blazeaid last year. Centrrelink make it very difficult for those of us who are not yet retired, but cannot get a paying job, to do adhoc volunteer work. They want 15hrs every week, you cannot accumulate hours.
Had a week out at Coonabarabran Blazeaid last year. Loved the experience and the majority were nomads in their vans and motorhomes.