Lily Tuck
BlazeAid volunteers are rebuilding fences across the region as recovery from January’s Harcourt-Ravenswood fires continues.
The BlazeAid camp based out of Maldon has been led by Lynn and Stan Russmussan since it was established in late January. The pair bring 25 years of fencing experience, having run a Bendigo-based business before retiring in 2019.
Lynn and Stan first became involved with BlazeAid in 2020 during the Corryong fires.
“We planned to go for four days and ended up coming back a month later,” Lynn said.
More than 165 volunteers have contributed to the effort. Since January 23, 84 properties have been registered for fencing, with work completed on 27 and a further 16 underway.
Before fencing can begin, properties must be assessed, and in many cases, cleared of debris, either by the property owners or relief efforts. BlazeAid provides the tools and labour, while materials are supplied by property owners through insurance or at their own expense. Further materials have been donated by community members and local businesses.
One Castlemaine local has offered unused gates, with businesses like Steel Blue showing support by donating 20 work boots when the camp opened.
The Harcourt BlazeAid camp also received a donation of $10,000 from Deepcore Drilling on behalf of the Mitchell Services Foundation earlier this month.
The community donations “make a big difference”, Lynn said. “Not just helping them get a fence up, but helping them get a start.”
BlazeAid also operates by offering accommodation at their Derby Hill camp on Phoenix Street in Maldon. Volunteers can either bring their own tents or camper vans, or alternatively, stay in the bunk rooms on-site.
Extreme heat and changing fire danger ratings have slowed progress, with the first week in March the only period crews were able to work six full days. Wet weather has also caused delays, with volunteers not deployed when conditions pose safety risks.
Stan said, “It’s the craziest season I’ve ever seen.” Originally, Lynn estimated the camp would be finished by April 30, but with the setbacks and extreme damage, the end date remains unclear.
A typical day begins at 7am with breakfast, followed by a 7.30am safety briefing and job assignments. Most volunteers return by 4.30pm, with dinner served at 6pm. Many locals have turned up to assist the effort, with women from the Beaufort Golf Club pitching in to help for a day. The camp has received donations of baked goods, bread, eggs, and other items, with some even assisting with composting. The camp has seen an array of different volunteers, with many working holiday visa holders choosing to spend their 88 days assisting in the bushfire recovery effort.
BlazeAid Harcourt has seen volunteers from Argentina, the US, the UK, Malaysia, and Chile.
Maurico Acuña hails from Chile and has been staying at the camp since February 1. Maurico has worked on producing a website for property registrations and volunteer management, which Lynn has said, “has helped a lot, saved us so much time.”
The volunteers learn on the job. “The more they do, the better they get,” Stan said.
“To have those skills means they can go out and get jobs on farms in the future,” he added.
Properties require between 50 metres and five kilometres of fencing. With the scale of damage and ongoing delays, work is expected to continue for some time as crews support recovery across Harcourt and surrounding communities.