Established to help farmers rebuild fences and structures after natural disasters, the charity has had bushfires occupy much of its volunteers’ time and efforts in recent years.
Charity founder Kevin Butler who farms near Melbourne says this summer has so far provided a welcome reprieve for him and fellow organisers, with cooler temperatures and an El Nino weather pattern lowering fire risks so far.
“We have only had one total fire ban day so far all summer this year. Last year we would have already had 15-20 in Victoria,” Butler said.
The damage inflicted last year commenced over a long season, starting with early fires in September 2019, peaking in the ravaging blazes of early January 2020.
“Last year we had 45 base camps across Australia, extending from Kangaroo Island right up into Queensland,” he said.
Four base camps remain open and only one significant fire event has been recorded so far, in South Australia.
The camps were staffed with volunteers who on average gave up to 10 working days each to work in hot, demanding and often isolated conditions helping restore farm fences and water systems.
Butler says their efforts have gone a long way to help fireproof the properties against future devastating events, with largely steel components replacing timber posts and rails.
Covid lockdowns slowed work significantly after March, with volunteers restarting in June, including thousands of backpackers who had stayed in Australia with extended visas.
Camp organiser Bill Gerritsen says farmers in his north-eastern Victoria zone of Corryong have got their lives back on track and are having an extremely good year.
“I have just seen a crop of canola that is above the fence line, I have not seen one that high for a very long time,” Gerritsen said.
His camp peaked at 90 volunteers working in the steep hill country before having to go into lockdown, after which numbers were limited to 20.
Both men say they have their fingers firmly crossed this summer will be more forgiving after last year’s stressful impact on rural communities.
“The risk is still there for fire this year … there have been a couple of grass fires here and there. It is ready to go,” he said.
