Ah, back at camp, back at work. More about the campsite…we had originally parked in the carpark outside the football field as the grounds were far too wet to drive the Landcruiser on let alone tow the van in. The carpark was elevated a little and of gravel. There were about six vans encamped out here and it became known as Cobargo Heights. Sadly, we had been requested by the council to vacate the car park and so here we are now in what Roscoe named “The Swamp”. We have moved next to The Kinnane’s and the Goff’s as well as another mate, Bazza, so now we really did have a camp within a camp. We worked hard, played hard and were in bed exhausted by 8:30pm, and especially so when we were joined by mates from Queensland, Patto and Hutcho, and from Sydney, Deigs.
Breakfast and lunch have been covered in Episode 1, so now we’ll do dinner! Held in the main marquee full of long trestle tables and plastic chairs, we comfortably sat 80 people which was good for the 60 plus average number of volunteers here (120 for 2 nights was the record). You could bring your own alcohol, though camp rule 7 stated that no more than “a couple of drinks per day is advised” :-)), or help yourself to water, soft-drinks, juice, tea and coffee. We in the Swamp never broke rule 7 and always stopped before the second bottle was drained.
Dinner was varied, hot and really delicious. The meals, provided by several different organisations and individuals were fresh and we never went hungry…..soups, roasts, pasta, salads, vegetarian, BBQ’s, curry, stews and always accompanied by deserts and yummy homemade cakes from the CWA or individual local ladies as their way to say thanks to this effort to rebuild the community. Really all very much appreciated by us lot. After a few days Roscoe told Co-ordinator Dean that the place reminded him of the old TV series M.A.S.H., soon after a sign appeared with that name on it! It was M.A.S.H. with all the drama, personalities and shenanigans that go with the name. It was hard, fun and fulfilling. Not long before personalities were being identified as Hawk-Eye, Radar, Klinger etc.
Return to Cobargo also meant a new property and project. This time it was a small sheep property owned by a couple in their late 70’s. Two of their boundary fences were in disarray through both fire and lack of maintenance, unfortunately they had lost a house, but the sheds where he had about 4 vintage cars was spared. With a new team consisting of us, John, Julie and Lars (Sailor Jerry). The owners were a really lovely couple, she a delightful lady who was really thrilled that we were there to help. Once again Evi not only worked hard on the fenceline but talked at length with the lady property owner and listened to her story, and also the tribulations and anguish of dealing with a husband fast moving into dementia, accelerated by the fire trauma. It was left up to Roscoe to deal with the husband who became confused very quickly, and often demanded unrealistic outcomes. One thing he did insist on was to run a fenceline across an old pigsty concrete floor, this had Roscoe digging 3 holes through the concrete with a crowbar whilst the rest of us drove star-pickets along the rest of the fence. The property owner is always correct….apparently.
The days rush, so much to do and so little time. Our last day we combine our team with Lindy’s to help complete a large fence run they have been working on for over a week. It is also the last day for all our mates and it is a pleasure to join forces for the last push. Our team has changed a little as Sailor Jerry has the flu (only flu) but his mate Patrick had joined us for the last few days. Lars & Patrick are Dutch chefs travelling Australia, but they must be terrible chefs as we never got to sample their fare…we have kept contact with this pair of great guys, even though they refer to Roscoe as “Dad”. They have committed to doing 3-4 months in camp which is really wonderful.
The last job is on a beautiful, though hilly, cattle property, bloody hard work. The family, mum and dad, Gill and David, are just great people who work with us all day, provide morning tea and lunch on the balcony of an old dairy that they have beautifully turned into a AirBnB which we just fell in love with. We will return and spend a week here one day. But for now there is a short fence to do, and a very long fence up and down dale and hilltops. Us pair, Evi and Roscoe, tackle the short fence from scratch, pulling the old one down and then putting up a new fence of two runs of barb, three runs of plain with 90cm high mesh secured to the bottom runs…we’re pro’s by now you know. Jill and David invite us all to their BBQ courtyard at the house for knockoff and farewell drinks, however, it isn’t farewell yet as we invite them in to the camp for dinner, along with Rex, Greg and Karen from last weeks work (Karen brings one of her famous cakes for us which lasts about 5 minutes).
Volunteering with BlazeAid, both in far North Queensland (2,400klm north) and here at Cobargo, NSW, is the most fulfilling task we have ever undertaken. To see people slowly realise that they can get through their troubles with help from complete strangers, well it gives us as much and more than our time and labour has given them. To see a community drowned in such a wave of hopelessness and despair suddenly surface and breath is more reward than being paid to do a task. The friendships we have made are bound in a commonality of good efforts and are enduring.
Thank you BalzeAid and friends!
Australia. Dust, Fire, Flood & Pandemic 