BlazeAid volunteers rebuilding community spirit in wake of devastating Wheatbelt bushfires

BlazeAid volunteers working in Wickepin are not only rebuilding fences and clearing debris, but they are helping to rebuild community spirit in the wake of the devastating Wickepin-Narrogin bushfire in February. BlazeAid camp co-ordinators Rob and Broni Edwards travelled from Adelaide to the southern Wheatbelt, rallying volunteers to help farmers rebuild fence lines destroyed in the blaze. The bushfire was one of two that destroyed a combined 60,000ha across five Wheatbelt shires, killing livestock and destroying sheds, machinery and fencing. The Wickepin-Narrogin blaze started near the intersection of Williams-Kondinin and Armstrong Roads and was caused by overhead power lines “coming together” in windy conditions. The blaze ripped through 18,000ha and threatened the town of Wickepin. Volunteers from across the country converged on Wickepin last month to help the farmers and the wider community rebuild fences and community spirit. “One of the key things with BlazeAid is that it’s very good for mental health and the farmers relate to our volunteers very easily,” Mr Edwards said. “It’s been a couple of months since the fire, but you see the difference in the farmers after they sit down and have morning tea with the volunteers. “We encourage that, we don’t care if it takes an hour for morning tea, it’s all about letting them talk.” Since the camp was opened at the Wickepin Community Resource Centre in April, the teams of volunteers have been setting out each day to pull down damaged fences and rebuild new fence lines. So far they have cleared 3km of fences and have built 20km of new fencing across 14 properties. Volunteer Fred Whitford decided to lend a hand with BlazeAid for the first time after he saw the damage caused by the four major bushfires that burnt across Denmark, Bridgetown, Corrigin and Wickepin in February. Mr Whitford said he felt like volunteering with BlazeAid made a real difference to the farmers directly impacted by the fires. “BlazeAid actually do something for the farmers, in this instance here, the farmers have got to get on with getting their crop in,” he said. “They haven’t got the time to put the fences up and because of the amount of fencing that needs to be done, they haven’t got the contractors around to do it. “I believe we are doing something meaningful and I’m doing it at the work-face.” The Wickepin-Narrogin blaze not only tore through paddocks, fence lines and outhouses but it also razed Birdwhistle Nature Reserve. The area was a popular tourist attraction due to its abundance of wildflowers and Birdwhistle Rock. “This area with the trees and wildflowers was a real tourist drive through here, but you can see how hot the fire got here,” Mr Edwards said. “This place was full of birds and life and this to me hits home how hot this fire really got and the devastation of the fire. “Here we are two months later and you can still see the damage, a lot will come back, but a lot won’t.” Victorian resident Bill Day drove across the country to volunteer at the Wickepin camp before visiting his daughter in Perth. Mr Day said when he saw the Wickepin fire grounds it reminded him of the Langkoop bushfire that started in South Australia and moved into Victoria, burning more than 7000ha over the 2021-22 New Year’s weekend. “(When I saw the Wickepin fire ground) I thought it was a very hot fire on a very windy day, that was my opinion,” he said. “It was very similar to the Langkoop fire because that fire just went like fury and it was jumping 100m across trees at a time. “It was scary if you had a house in line. “We had the fire brigade and the helicopter dropping water, they saved all the houses, there weren’t any houses burnt but a lot of out buildings like sheds were destroyed.” Local sporting clubs have pitched in to repair fences and community groups and local residents have been dropping off food and supplies to the camp. “We are only as good as the support that we get when we come into an area like this,” Mr Edwards said. “We’ve had the Lions Club help out, all the Shires have helped, and everyone has been absolutely fantastic. “Then you have local people that will drop cakes or biscuits or casseroles and sometimes there are groups that will come in and cook a barbecue for us.” For details or to register interest to volunteer, call Mr Edwards on 0400 987 529.