What's new
What's new

OT Oz wildfires

jmead

Hot Rolled
Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Location
Island County, Wa
Hey Aussie members how about posting some links to Legit charities helping to cope with your fires? I’ve chosen NSW/ACT Food Bank and there are plenty more I’m sure but from this far off you wonder which ones actually turn donations into useful help. Good Luck to all of you.
 
As an Aussie, I’d like to say thanks to the both of you for posting and contributing to this thread.
Our rural people have had it pretty fucking rough the last few years.
Criminal mis-management of water by our government and foreign owned farms.
Coupled with bad weather cycles causing a crippling drought.
Finish it off with massive funding cuts to our fire services.
They sure are doing it tough. I won’t say “we” as I live by the east coast and won’t even pretend I know what’s it like to lose everything.

A great charity is “Wires” which helps the poor animals caught up and burnt in the fires, poor buggers didn’t deserve this.

I’d like to say to donate to the Rural Fire Service, but that’s our governments job, every Australian tax payer has already paid for that public service in our taxes, but I guess the money just didn’t quite get to the boys in the fire trucks this year due to tax cuts to our big business mates.

Thanks to the both of you for keeping us in your thoughts, we really do appreciate any help we get :)
 
firstly here are some links to just the NSW and Victorian bushfires, there have been others as well in other states
You can see the scale of burnt areas.
victoria
http://www.emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/

NSW
NSW RFS - NSW Rural Fire Service


There are gofundme webpages setup by various people but i think gofundme takes a cut of proceeds for hosting the issue, you can search the various towns but some of the smaller towns may not get as much attention or even a gofundme page.
some of the bigger names are noted are corryong, there are some asking for relatively modest amounts to others with larger amounts.

There is one for animals as well on gofundme and there is the big one here RSPCA Australia | For all creatures great & small which you can read about.

Not sure on the admin costs of the various charities, they all have paid staff they don't publish 100% of donation goes to x for instance.

Each of the charities scope of work is important, some do food, essentials etc

here are some i know of.
Bendigo Bank | Bank Accounts, Credit Cards & Home Loans click the link on the main page

Humanitarian Aid - Donate or Join Us | Australian Red Cross

https://www.vinnies.org.au

charity donations in australia are tax deductible

donating to the rural fire service will mean they can use it on firetrucks, training equipment but not help reinstatement of assets of affected people nor on animals.
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/support-your-local-brigade there are state based fire services this is just one, there are others.

There is a heap of traps you really need to look at who you are donating to and what they will actually do with the money.

What may slip through the cracks is uninsured peoples houses, uninsured fencing especially and various other personal things not covered.

There are Fakebook pages going around as well, i wanted to view some but Fakebook had onerous signin things so i didn't bother with it, just forgot password and its been so long since i have ever viewed anything on it in fact years.

I am looking at seeing interest in anyone who would like to rent my fencing gear have pnuematic driver etc so in the process of checking that out now.
It can drive over 180 star pickets in 120 minutes not too shabby and that's not mucking around either.
So can do long runs of fencing much quicker than by hand, need to do a few updates on it so will change a few things on it to make it better.

I have had it a number of years an its collecting dust in a shed at the moment not far from the fires, but i kept it registered so i will either try to rent it for a modest figure or sell it outright it depends on feedback.Renting it out would benefit the most people i feel.

One zone i was looking at you cannot drive into it at the moment and have had no reply to a email to Rotary as i thought they may like to run it.


All the Gofundme and Fakebook free donated goods have some size to them but as to how to administer the free items equally to the residents i think is a real issue and what happens when free runs out or is not so well noticed in a years time, who's left without free when some get and some don't it is sure to create some issues.

Will see how long my gear if it gets hired can run for but there is i think enough area gone to wear it to end of life so repairs will need to be done to keep it going getting a little money for it then i can afford to replace things.
How is free donated items going to be maintained or replaced when it breaks down, who looks after it?
I cannot solicit people to buy time on the machine then donate the time they cannot claim the cost on their tax return as fencing as it was not used for them, so i am not going to accept donations and looking for the straight up paid fee for service.
Will see how i go it may take some time when free runs out for there to be interest also there will some question of are you taking advantage of people in distress but i have had it a long time and fee will be modest when you work it out over the cost per post to drive them in.
Cost of fencing materials will be much larger than the hire to put them in with the machine i have.

will see how it goes, the outside boundary fencing needs to done on all properties before winter at a minimum, the internal fencing can wait a year it will be a inconvenience as cattle are boxed and more work to the farmer while it is in that state.
Those that start early will have a outlay and have to wait a few months, till june those doing fencing near june will have a short outlay till they can run stock, so you never know they all may wait till the last minute to do it. Hopefully by june there should be some green grass for the cows to eat.
Doing fencing over winter has hairs on it but may be done if there is a real hard push for it will see.

I will lay it out in the open and see how we go, being open i think will be the best in amongst all the politics, noise and hurt which changes day to day.
Sort of like sticking your head out of the turrent of a tank and getting it shot off , have to be careful of that.

if i have missed anything feel free to add to it
 
I’m sure all of us in the US know how bad the west coast fires have been the last few years especially in Cali. We must not be sweeping our forest floors like the Finns do. I will match (10) $100us donations to valid Oz relief efforts this week, I’m traveling after that. They are saying 1 billion with a B critters have burned to death, I hope a few of us are in a position to help.
 
I have donated to WIRES (see post #3 above). They have a website.

This is just a reminder in case you are inclined to help out. I'm not looking for a medal.

-Marty-
 
I’m not blaming any one person or administration, just saying most presidents don’t blame victims for not sweeping the forest.

I remember my dad telling me how most forests in Europe were managed and didn't have all the dead stuff (fuel) just sitting there. What we do here on some conservation land is cut all the dead stuff so it lies flat and decomposes to return nutrients back to the forest. Of course our New England forests are very damp compared to CA and OZ.

It's just horrible what the people and animals are going through. One of the animal programs on TV was showing how many rescued Koalas have burned paws from trying to walk on smoldering embers. And it seems so many people have lost not only their homes but also nearly everything they own.
 
I bet trump never picked up a broom or vacuum cleaner in his pampered life. Much less went out and swept the forest or the sidewalk in front of his house.
Bill D.
 
I bet trump never picked up a broom or vacuum cleaner in his pampered life. Much less went out and swept the forest or the sidewalk in front of his house.
Bill D.

It's a joke Bill...blame everything on George bush, and now trump.

Your parade of socialist tree hugging governors won't allow cutting, cleaning, nor controlled burning.

But they can't stop nature now can they ?

How much pollution from the uncontrolled burning, along with the houses, cars and such ?

How about all that retardant ? it's running off to somewhere.
 
It's a joke Bill...blame everything on George bush, and now trump.

Your parade of socialist tree hugging governors won't allow cutting, cleaning, nor controlled burning.

But they can't stop nature now can they ?

How much pollution from the uncontrolled burning, along with the houses, cars and such ?

How about all that retardant ? it's running off to somewhere.

It's not really a joking matter Doug.
 
Your parade of socialist tree hugging governors won't allow cutting, cleaning, nor controlled burning.

I wish the fire sevice (western USA) would be allowed to just let it all burn. Sure, stop it from getting into populated areas if possible. This bullshit of not cleaning it just makes for bigger, hotter, more destructive fires. Nature wants to burn every 20 yrs or so, to keep things clean and germinate new seeds.:mad5:
 
I wish the fire sevice (western USA) would be allowed to just let it all burn. Sure, stop it from getting into populated areas if possible. This bullshit of not cleaning it just makes for bigger, hotter, more destructive fires. Nature wants to burn every 20 yrs or so, to keep things clean and germinate new seeds.:mad5:
"Burn" you say ?

Heck using a "Thrash-A-Matic" could keep things cleaned up nicely near the buildings. The mulch helps absorb the rain when
it does come, and leaving the roots in place keep the hillsides
in place as well.

But they run on nasty hydrocarbons.....ooh bad....
The enviro nutz's learjets run on...oh wait...oopsie
my bad.
 
It sure is...
Ask your self "How did these places get like this ?"

And "Global Warming" is not an answer.

"Bad stewardship of the land" is.

Stoopid is as stoopid does.

Take a walk in any forest anywhere around populated areas, the ground is covered with dead leaves and branches, layers of them. All it takes is a spark. Prescribed burns work when allowed to.

My sympathy's to the creatures that are suffering from this conflagration.
 








 
Back
Top