Earlier this week we reported Port Fairy was in mourning for 11-year-old schoolboy Xavier Cassidy, who died after an asthma attack. On Wednesday, Darcy Membrey, a cheeky, bubbly two-year-old, died after a two-tonne fertiliser bin fell on him in an accident on a Naringal dairy farm.

It’s impossible to imagine what these families are experiencing but our nature is to want to help in some way. Our words can be powerful, our actions even more so.

The south-west is a tight-knit community. We might not know all our neighbours but in times like these we have a history of rallying behind those who need it most. We only need to look at last March's St Patrick’s Day fires which devastated parts of the region. We donated clothes, volunteered to help clean-up, built fences, cooked, listened and wrapped our arms around victims. We raised money, we staged events to help brighten their lives.

This week the south-west community again rallied. 

Travis Membrey, the father of little Darcy, was stunned with the support he and wife Sasha and their immediate family received. Xavier’s family too.

Our thoughts and prayers are with both families.

Here’s a selection of stories from the week.