BlazeAid’s Cobden camp expects to keep operating until January as more farmers hit by the St Patrick’s Day fires realise they cannot do all the repair work themselves.
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Cobden camp coordinator Chris Male said the camp had received more requests for help in replacing fences burnt in the March 17 blazes.
She said the ongoing need had persuaded many volunteers to return to the camp to again contribute to the rebuilding effort.
Many of the properties hit by the fires were dairy farms that needed lots of fencing for the many small paddocks they used, Mrs Male said.
She said about 650 volunteers had worked out of the Cobden camp since it was set up on March 22.
They had erected about 600 kilometres of fencing and rolled up about 200kms of burnt fencing.
There were 15 volunteers working out of the camp on Tuesday but more were needed, Mrs Male said.
The average length of stay by volunteers was three weeks, she said.
“That’s a very high figure (for length of stay).
“It’s been phenomenal,” Mrs Male said.
She said volunteers were making big contributions because they were affected by the pressing need of fire-hit farmers.
“The emotion of it all affects people,” Mrs Male said.
“We had a four-wheel drive club come and do some work and then some members came back later as individuals because they saw the need,” she said.
Most of the volunteers camped at the BlazeAid camp at the Cobden South West Go Kart Club off Graylands Road.
Many were retired farmers while others were ‘grey nomads’ who were doing a stint of volunteering during their travels.
Mrs Male said community groups were continuing to provide evening meals for the volunteers and they and individuals were also helping with the camp’s cleaning and maintenance.
But she said donations of cakes and slices for the volunteers’ morning teas would be much appreciated.
The camp is also looking for a loan of a four-wheel-drive utility to take volunteers and equipment out to jobs.
A utility was loaned to the camp for six months but its owners need to take it back.
Michael Moylan, 71, was among the return volunteers working from the camp this week.
Mr Moylan, from Scarsdale near Ballarat, said he and his wife Dianne had enjoyed their first stint of four days in September and came back to do another week to support not only the farmers but the camp coordinators Chis and John Male.
He said he and his wife were moved by the plight of the farmers they worked with.
They were working this week with a beef producer at Elingamite who had lost his home, sheds and many kilometres of fencing in the March 17 blazes.
They had established a good relationship with the farmer who was very appreciative of their contribution, Mr Moylan said.