Gunnedah locals have been on the road with Blaze Aid helping Queenslanders recover from this year’s flood damage.
Rob and Renee Hooke spent time at the Cunnamulla Blaze Aid camp, repairing fences and feeding hungry volunteers completing the work.
Mrs Hooke described their time as a wonderful experience of “giving back” in the “beautiful Aussie outback” landscape.
The Blaze Aid camp was situated at the showground and set up with an almost new kitchen, provided courtesy of the local show society.
“When we were there, it was a moving population of 35 to 40 people all needing three meals a day,” Mrs Hooke said.
“Teams went out to the flood country every weekday from 7am to 4pm to resurrect downed and flooded fencing. Meanwhile others stayed back to prepare meals.”
The Gunnedah volunteers said the Blaze Aid crew included a “wonderfully diverse group of people” from a nuclear scientist to an around-the-world sailor and a young student from Korea – all with fascinating stories to tell.
Volunteers completed as much work as they could at Cunnamulla but it was still too wet in some areas for repairs to start.
Work was still continuing at other Queensland camps such as Quilpie, Jundah and Longreach, as well as Kendall and Oxley Island on the NSW Mid North Coast region. Most of Blaze Aid’s Cunnamulla kitchen and fencing equipment was sent to these locations.
The Gunnedah couple recommended those looking for a dose of the outback and could spare a few days or weeks, to volunteer their time to assist but to contact the organisation first find out where the work is needed.
TOP RIGHT: Jan from Tasmania, Kay from Queensland and Renee from Gunnedah, preparing meals for volunteers at Cunnamulla.
RIGHT: Workers relaxing by the fireside after a day on the fence line.
