BlazeAid Bruthen | Non-profit organisation

BlazeAid Bruthen

Phone: +61 419 300 686

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25.01.2022 Congratulations Erika Mol from the Netherlands. Erika has just completed her 88 days volunteer work to qualify to extend her visa in Australia. She has come a long way since joining us and had the best teacher in Sue Young, her original team leader. Originally working with Sue, Wayne, Dominique & Adam, she is now a team leader herself with her small team of Helene, Nico & Max. Erika has become very competent in all aspects of fencing as well as assisting Damo, our chef with her dessert cooking skills in the kitchen. Great job Erika. (note - most photos were taken pre Covid-19)

23.01.2022 Today our volunteer, Rob Scott completed 100 days with Bruthen BlazeAid. We had a little celebration tonight where we were able to share Robs favourite dessert, bread & butter pudding, prepared by our talented chef. Congratulations Rob, well done & looking forward to the next 100.

22.01.2022 Please Share for East Gippsland fire recovery - Cann River BlazeAid Blazeaid Noorinbee Cann River is urgently seeking to loan a 4x4 vehicle capable of transpo...rting volunteers & towing a trailer to job sites. Will pay for insurance and a service / clean when at completion Of loan If you can help please call the BlazeAid Coordinator on 0351586281 See more

22.01.2022 Round One Perennial Seed Funding for Vic Fire impacted farmers For Fire hit farmers registered at Victoria blazeaid bases only. Fire affected farmers may be e...ligible for perennial grass seed to restablish pastures in those paddocks burnt in the 2019/20 fires. Funding has been made available through a generous grant to BlazeAid by Victoria Bushfire Appeal with their two local fire recovery coordinators and some very high profile farmers and pasture specialists guiding me through this. Allocation is subjective and confidential to BlazeAid and the farmer. I am overseeing this initiative as on my own Kilmore East farm , I am passionately involved in sowing down to perennials, applying (natural) fertilisers with building feed wedges through big numbers ( up to 2000) of sheep on timed ( .5 of a day to 3 days) small paddocks (1 acre to 30 acres) around my farm of 57 paddocks for 20-30 day rests to grow double the grass than set stocking. Modern hybrid perennials like 5 year Shogun rye grass are being trialled over 21 paddocks and I am more than happy to hear of fire affected farmers looking at enhanced modern phalaris types etc, lucerne and clovers to sow down with. One size does not fit all- every farmer is different. Successful applicants who have a history of perennial establishment prior to the fires and are advised by an Agronomist either independently or through their seed supplier will most likely endure less pain of my usual 500 questions and will go onto collect their own bags of seed direct at their local BlazeAid base about 5 days after being told their application was approved. Rationale Hot fires burn more than just fencing etc. - it often sets back pasture production for years and farmers ability to financially recover. This is where it is self evident that seed and roots were incinerated and ground cover is poor - leading to erosion and loss of soil , income etc. BlazeAid has always done fences to help farmer and community recovery and I am very keen on perennial pasture reestablishment for fire hit farmers becoming mainstream in blazeaid as well through our local blazeaid base model. What to do now Farmers wishing inkind seed assistance will need to send by sms a photo to me first of their paddock / ground burnt in the fires and then ring me on 0418530471 to discuss their current program and need for seed only. ( you provide/ do the fertiliser and sowing) A total price for perennial seed to sow the paddock down is needed so ask your Stock and Station agent who supplies blazeaid already in Posts and Wire for this quotation as this will need to be emailed to [email protected] I will then phone the Coordinator to check out the bona fide of you the applicant and ultimately request that Coord to place an order at Blazeaids usual Stock and Station Agent. EG Elders Bairnesdale or say Ag Mate Corryong ( remember all local businesses will get a share of this business as BlazeAid rebuilding communities policy but those who give the BEST value, advice, care and follow up with farmers will receive multiple patronage from BlazeAid. Once notified, the farmer can pick up their particular seed ( with your name on the bags) from their blazeaid base and it will be listed on the Farmers Materials Allocations sheet by the Coordinator. BlazeAid may be able to help even further with posts and wire and labor to help with subdivisional fencing for perennial pasture reestablishment. The farmer will have 12 months to get the seed into the ground but immediate preference may go to those sowing now or this Spring There will be a several funding rounds announced on Facebook, website and even maybe local ABC radio. Preference is for farmers who (have a history of) and are perennial seeding now or have plans to seed in the 2020 Spring or Autumn 2021. They will have some sort of best practice in Paddock rotation / Feed wedge/ Holistic farming culture so the perennial pasture thrives and lasts for several years - 20 years plus Direct drilling or cultivation or aerial seeding or over sowing ( where success is likely) is fine- farmer pays for fertiliser and the balance of their seed needs that blazeaid does not fund. Preference for phalaris, cocksfoot, clovers, perennial rye grass ( Shogun) not fodder crops - farmers must text me then phone /tell me the total cost quantity and type they want and rate per acre (eg 1000kgs of Pasture mix to sow down 50 hectares at the rate of say 20 kg per hect - total cost needs to be absolutely accurate so check prices and quantities thoroughly) Best is an accurate written quote from their supplier who also currently supplies BlazeAid with Posts and Wire on a 7-10 day bulk order basis. Other Bits and Pieces about the Fire Recovery Perennial Seed Program Seed order must be a part of the Blazeaid bases Weekly Post and Wire order so there is no extra admin work on Debbie Buttler in the BlazeAid office and is easy for the local BlazeAid coordinator or his/ her delegated pasture rep. to liaise with you There will be no individual seed invoices sent to either you or blazeaid- blazeaid pays on the Monthly Statement but the seed component MUST be plainly identified as SEED by the supplier as BlazeAid must report back to VIc Bushfire Rec. and our auditor for the AGM and reports to Consumer Affairs Vic and ANCC. Return / Keep handy empty seed bags or send back to blazeaid base and label bags with texta: EG Farmer Sam Jones of Buchan 0417235678 - then text / notify Kevin that its in the ground and and we will have a BlazeAider to come and see how its growing and send me a photo (another part of governance to ensure there is no fraud etc) Participating farmers would need to agree that a blazeaid rep would visit their paddock to inspect at an appropriate time when sown and to collect the empty bags. Remember that the seed needs to be in ground by June 30, 2021 This First Round offer is only available until 5 pm Mon May 18th with confidential confirmation on Wed May 20th by phoning me Kevin Butler on 0418530471 asap Seed should arrive at your local BlazeAid base for collection by you about 5 business days later I expect that I will announce Round 2 applications et al will open a few days after this pickup time. The Seed Offer Rounds will only happen while local BlazeAid bases are operating in your district because this is the only way we can ensure proper governance of grant and donated monies. There is no indication yet that blazeaid is winding up soon in East Gippsland or Corryong. Farmers in outer areas where BlazeAid has been and gone ( EG Omeo) will need to reregister with say Buchan their nearest base to be a part of this. Already a Tooma (NSW)blazeaid registered farmer with land in Vic has had to reregister with Corryong blazeaid so he can get seed for his Vic property. Farmer needs to agree that a blazeaid rep may call and visit to see the pasture sometime during the next 12 months. Those farmers who fertilise and manage their pasture investment well will be earmarked for further support should fires impact them in the future. BlazeAid helps farmers who are appreciative, needy due to fire impacts on their farm, grateful, involved ( have skin in the game and are hands on running the farm themselves and not from an office in Melb) , deserving, community minded ( they have a history of working with their neighbors with fire preparation/prevention and helping each other through tough and the good times) Enquiries Kevin Butler Blazeaid Pres 0418530471 ( Remember you must be registered at your nearest Blazeaid base BEFORE you call me ) Bases at Bruthen Bruthen AAA Coord Linda & Nick 0402186171 Buchan Buchan AAA Graham Coordinator 0477488434 Wulgulmerang AAA Coords Maggie And Paul 0417773065 Corryong Corryong BlazeAid Coord Bill 0408552768 Gerritsen For Wendie 0408 495 065 For Rob 0417 294 234 Also 0457 063 296 Lexton - Call Kevin butler Newmeralla AA Jason Farmer 0427541614 ( Photo below is of drill rows Shogun ryegrass oversown on 8/4/20 at my Kilmore East farm)

22.01.2022 We would just like to clarify policy on dogs at our Bruthen camp as we have had some volunteers arriving with their dogs. If you bring your dog, they are allowed at the caravan park but not in the cricket ground, club room area. Dogs are also not allowed onto properties we are working on. We therefore suggest you have your dogs looked after by someone while you volunteer with us. Apologies to those who like to bring their pets.

21.01.2022 At sarsfield Victoria first timers doing steel gate post and strainer with me they did really well thanks from your team leader you all did very well today Blaze aid Bruthern

21.01.2022 Following the latest Government announcements of lockdowns due to Covid-19 Blazeaid Bruthen are no longer able to accept any new or returning volunteers until further notice. Please keep monitoring the Facebook page for changes to these arrangements as we move forward.

20.01.2022 https://www.dropbox.com/s/lstanbbuotubfe1/BLAZE%20AID.mp4 Blaze Aid Bruthen on Channel 7

20.01.2022 Its not all serious work at Bruthen BlazeAid! Ian Ramsey on air post, accompanied by our girl chorus

19.01.2022 Bruthen Camp will be closing on Friday 23rd October. The camp was first opened in mid January right after the bushfires that ravaged the area. Original co-ordinator Phil Fraser with the help of Debbie Chalmers and numerous other volunteers set up the camp in days. By the end of January almost 100 local property owners had registered for assistance. Nine months later it's almost time to pack up after helping around 180 properties with close to 900 volunteers and over 150km of first clearing then rebuilding fences.

19.01.2022 Morning muster at BlazeAid Bruthen. About 80 going out to build fences and help property owners today

19.01.2022 With up to 90 volunteers to feed each night at Bruthen we have set up a long table under the verandah so everyone can sit after a long day out building fences.

19.01.2022 We have had an incredible few days at Bruthen camp and have been at capacity with 90 volunteers here for the long weekend. The upcoming football season and reduced availability at the caravan park will mean the space at camp will be more limited so if you are thinking of coming to help please make sure you contact the caravan park to book space on 0437 787 248. Also please advise your plans to us including arrival date, length of stay and any experience by calling 0427 550 323 or email to [email protected].

16.01.2022 What a lovely message we received on FB from one of our property owners. This is why we are all here. At Bruthen we currently have 142 properties registered, with 11 completed so far we will be here for many months to come.

16.01.2022 BlazeAid Buchan are looking for help in the kitchen to assist their catering volunteers - please phone Rhonda on 0408 594 783

16.01.2022 The BlazeAid Bases of Bruthen, Buchan, Wulgulmerang and Cann River in East Gippsland Victoria and Corryong Vic are now closed to new volunteers from Melbourne m...etropolitan area and the Mitchell shire due to the Covid outbreak in Victoria. Only local volunteers from the actual town itself will be considered to join their local blazeaid base ( eg Only local residents of Bruthen are allowed to help current blazeaid volunteers at the Bruthen base) but even this may be short lived with the advice changing daily. I am asking NSW volunteers to stay in NSW and not ask to volunteer in Victoria please Kevin Butler Blazeaid President

16.01.2022 Incredible what Facebook can do. Today we collected the second trailer load of steel pickets donated by the wonderful residents of Yarram following a FB callout. It is so helpful to the property owners who have lost their fencing.

16.01.2022 Our small dedicated team out fencing at Bruthen

15.01.2022 Calling everyone to muster in the morning hasnt been easy for Linda until Toolman Graeme came up with this solution. Thanks for your help while volunteering at Bruthen Ruth and Graeme - hope to see you back in a few months.

13.01.2022 While putting up the gate on Andrea place the horses came over to have a look and inspect it they are so friendly at Bruthern blaze aid today

12.01.2022 COVID 19 - Bruthen Camp update - To minimise any risk to our camp we are currently reducing camp numbers and not taking any more volunteers apart from those already registered. All large groups and school groups booked to come shall have to defer their arrival until things settle down. If you are hoping to come and volunteer at our camp, please monitor our Facebook page and we shall keep you updated of any changes.... We are just wanting to keep our camp running and we thank you for your understanding.

11.01.2022 Condolences to Bruthen's original co-ordinator Phil Fraser on the sudden loss of his wife Susie. Our thoughts are with you Phil.

11.01.2022 Blaze Aid Noorinbee - Cann River is asking for 4 - 6 volunteers to come and be ready to start work on Wednesday the 26th of February. If you are interested plea...se message me on FB or Email on [email protected] or phone 03 5158 6281. If you need power to your site, these are limited. There is ample tent and camping sites. We also ask that you bring your own safety glasses, gloves, safety clothing and hat. Meals, tea, coffee, water, toilets and showers are all supplied and on site. See more

11.01.2022 HELP NEEDED AT BUCHAN Blazeaid - Urgently looking for kitchen volunteers to help at the camp asap - Please contact Rhonda on 0408 594 783

11.01.2022 CAN ANYONE DONATE TWO ATCO HUT OFFICE BUILDINGS? With the start of the football season not far off Bruthen Football Club are needing their clubrooms back. If we had a couple of huts we could run our office from at the ground it would help ease the congestion of the two groups working together. With over 170 local properties registered and only 20% complete to date we have a long way to go before we pack up camp at Bruthen and a couple of huts could make all the difference to us.

10.01.2022 Thankyou Melissa! Here’s the link to tonight’s extraordinary ABC 4 corners program ‘Hard Winter’ that tells the ongoing struggle of the Cobargo NSW community a...fter the fires. https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/hard-winter/12426966 EVERY politician should watch it and reevaluate how they are performing as a team. So many of tonight’s interviewees - incredibly impacted by the fires- have the admiration of so many Australians who watched tonight’s show- so dignified, enduring, gracious and thoughtful and community minded. There are about 30 other fire smashed communities forgotten just like the Cobargo survivors at a time that almost all media and others are almost solely focussed on Covid while the bush tries to rebuild. If only there was a sense of balance and character to go back and keep to the promises that we all made to help when we watched families running scared and broken from the smoke and flames in Jan.. Thank the Australia we are privileged to live in for the ABC for a balanced overview telling it as it is - it’s embarrassing that the Fed Govt cuts their budget when they do outstanding presentations like tonight Kevin See more

10.01.2022 So many amazing donations coming from companies, individuals and community groups. Thanks so much to everyone and to Kincrome Tools in Scoresby for todays donation of these fantastic tools.

10.01.2022 Thankyou Melissa! Heres the link to tonights extraordinary ABC 4 corners program Hard Winter that tells the ongoing struggle of the Cobargo NSW community a...fter the fires. https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/hard-winter/12426966 EVERY politician should watch it and reevaluate how they are performing as a team. So many of tonights interviewees - incredibly impacted by the fires- have the admiration of so many Australians who watched tonights show- so dignified, enduring, gracious and thoughtful and community minded. There are about 30 other fire smashed communities forgotten just like the Cobargo survivors at a time that almost all media and others are almost solely focussed on Covid while the bush tries to rebuild. If only there was a sense of balance and character to go back and keep to the promises that we all made to help when we watched families running scared and broken from the smoke and flames in Jan.. Thank the Australia we are privileged to live in for the ABC for a balanced overview telling it as it is - its embarrassing that the Fed Govt cuts their budget when they do outstanding presentations like tonight Kevin See more

09.01.2022 Lunch at camp. While most of our volunteers are out in the field, there is plenty to do back at camp to cater for around 60-80 people each day.

09.01.2022 Exciting News! Congratulations to all our wonderful volunteers - you've earned this! Victorian Regional Achievement and Community Awards

09.01.2022 Update at Bruthen camp - with our camp in virtual lockdown our now 16 remaining volunteers (who have been isolated together for a month) have still been out working on properties keeping social distancing from property owners but continuing our work. Property owners are very grateful we are still able to continue within the strict new guidelines. We have now cleared almost 100km of fence lines and erected 116km of fence. With 181 registered properties, we have now completed 58 jobs and started work on 126. Still lots to do but we will get there.

08.01.2022 A call out to all property owners in the area - yesterday we had around 10 new properties registered who were alerted by their neighbours of the need to register with us. We can help all property owners who have lost fencing in the fires but you must register with us. Either call in at the Bruthen Football ground or phone on 0427 550 323.

08.01.2022 Just to let all volunteers know, Bruthen Camp is still closed to new volunteers. Caravan Parks in Victoria are not yet open. We shall slowly increase numbers as soon as we are allowed to, within the rules and requirements issued by the State Government. Thanks to everyone for your patience - especially the property owners who have been so understanding with the slow progress over the last few months.

07.01.2022 We have had an amazing response with supply of cakes and slices at our Bruthen camp. Donations will now last us a couple of weeks but in the meantime our Buchan camp is in short supply and could use some baked goods at their camp. Items can be dropped off to the Mechanics Hall at Buchan or contact Rhonda on 0408 594 783. Thank you so much to all those incredible cooks helping provide snacks for our property owners and volunteers.

07.01.2022 Worth Reading Hi Kevin, I just wanted to thank your camp managers, Linda and Nick Jenkins, who made the past week at Bruthen such a positive experience. I ha...ve seldom seen two people work so hard and so selflessly to ensure that up to 100 volunteers were effectively deployed (and fed, entertained and accommodated) over the past week. Ive learned more about fencing than I ever expected to know, and spent the drive back to Melbourne checking out various farm fences, just to ensure they were up to the BlazeAid standards! Thanks for the opportunity of being part of your team. Kind regards, John Lovell

06.01.2022 Breakfast at Bruthen - a little easier with a reduced camp size but still plenty of eggs to be cooked. Thanks Damo for getting up extra early to feed us all.

05.01.2022 The posts are so high we need a safe way to put them in had brain wave use Trailor stationery worked so good better than ladders at Bruthern camp farmer

04.01.2022 Together we are stronger. We received word from BlazeAid Bruthen about a property that had been burned out twice (yep, the fire went through TWO times), destroy...ing everything in its path except for a single tree and a small patch of grass. The six sheep that live on this property survived by taking shelter in this one spot and thankfully, were not physically injured by the blazing fire. Over the weekend we sourced fencing equipment, a water trough and stock feed (pellets) from the local Bairnsdale Elders Farm Supplies store to assist with containing and caring for the sheep, and the incredible BlazeAid team have completed building the fence! We are incredibly proud to be able to support the local community through such team work. If you or someone you know needs help caring for animals due to the bushfires, please get in touch with us by calling 03 9224 2222 or via https://rspcavic.org/bushfiresupport

04.01.2022 COVID19 Update Bruthen Camp 21 March 2020- With the ever changing requirements issued by the Government and BlazeAid Head Office in relation to COVID19, our camp, as previously advised has been reduced in capacity to enable us to safely continue to operate. We are now at a manageable level and shall be able to take a limited number of volunteers to maintain the numbers. In line with HO guidelines we shall be asking more questions to ensure volunteers are not in a risk group and we have an age limit which is currently 75yo. We shall only be taking new volunteers who are able to stay for a minimum of a week with preference given to longer stays. Previous and new volunteers should call us to register arrival and make sure we can fit you in on your planned dates.

04.01.2022 Grasseeds Restablishment After Fires Funding Initiative (GRAFFI) Round 3 application opens today for Victorian farmers impacted from the 2019/20 fires and appli...cations close on Dec 31, 2020 If you or your family: suffered loss with seed and roots scorched in the fires causing bare ground and broad leafed weed infestation etc AND have a history of sowing down perennial grasses, regular fertilising and the rotational movement of dairy or beef cattle or sheep with long paddock rests to maintain good grass cover (NOT kill your perennial plants by set stocking) wish to sow a paddock down this Spring 2020 or Autumn / Winter of 2021 to achieve this are registered with blazeaid at Corryong, Wulgulmerang,Buchan, Bruthen, Cann River or Lexton have not applied in Rounds 1 or 2, then please mobile phone me - Kevin Butler- on 0418530471 for text details of your next step for seed funding. There is no rush but don’t forget! Fully completed and returned online applications will be decided on by our GRAFFI board of BlazeAid Coordinators, your local agronomists, your local seed suppliers at the end of each month being Aug 31, Sept 30, Oct 31, Nov 30, Dec 31 and Jan 31 Can previous applicants in Round 1 and 2 pls call their blazeaid coordinator for the next step which is getting the Soil test (E22) done plus the Emerg plus bearings taken ( Lat and long) of your chosen paddock and then you can ask for online application form to fill in. This needs to be done on line before you receive your seed please. Your agronomist will help you if need be. If you have only set stocked with continuous grazing and have never / rarely sown down and looked after your pastures as a regular practice, it is not advisable to apply for seed funding. Kevin Butler BlazeAid Pres 0418530471

01.01.2022 Chris from Yarram has rounded up an amazing 400 or more steel posts to be used for fencing at affected properties. We are now looking for someone who is able to collect them and deliver to us. If you are able to assist please message or phone me on 0419 533 302 so we can arrange collection. Thanks Bev Winter, Bruthen Admin