The 76-year-old lives alone, her adult children live away and her neighbour is elderly. 

“I live on my own with my little dog Jack and I thought ‘who’s going to help me?’” Mrs Peacock said.

The Koroit resident called the State Emergency Service telling the operator about the Cyprus tree and branches which blocked most of her yard. 

“When I rang the SES I didn't know if they were the right ones to call.”

“I didn’t even know we had volunteers in Koroit.”

Mrs Peacock was surprised when help arrived in less than 30 minutes. 

“I thought ‘they won’t be here for a while’. It’s not like it was urgent,” she said. 

Mrs Peacock thanked Port Fairy SES president Stephen McDowell and volunteers Hannah Torney and David McCosh who chainsawed the branches and cleared the tree trunk from her yard. 

“It was just amazing. They were so good. I thought it was an excellent service. They didn’t treat me like an idiot. It made such a difference to me,” Mrs Peacock said.

“They stepped in and looked after it for me and I was most impressed.” 

Mrs Peacock said she wanted to thank the volunteers and share her experience with others who could find themselves in a similar situation.

“A more mature and rather rattled lady and her small dog were very impressed with their friendly and competent manner,” Mrs Peacock said.

“Thanks to all our volunteers – where would we be without them?”