Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

[bogongtiger]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

I just read that some of the flood victims up north have donated their flood relief funds to the bushfire appeal. Now that is what I call magnificent generosity and a country pulling together!

[Andy]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires


Positive – the many people that finished a sentence with “at least we have our lives”.
Loathing – for those that could intentionally start this horror.
Apprehension – the return home to confirm the worst.
Courage – of those standing tall against the enemy.
Fear – of the nightly mental replay behind closed eyes.
Exhaustion – taken to the limit of mental and physical endurance and then push a bit more
Loneliness – of your our thoughts and visions in an alien environment.
Frustration – of not knowing the answers or reason.
Agony - of loss.
Embarrassment – of the need to hold a hand out.
Surprised – at how much support is offered.
Sympathy – without words, tear filled eyes making contact convey paragraphs of thoughts
Homesick – for the warm, safe love filled patch of dirt that was your home.
Disgust - for the looters.
Humbled - to have met so many truly great people. Volunteers, victims, staff and donators.
Torment – of not knowing.
Regret – for not understanding the real danger.
Caring – Doing the right thing for no other motivation
Sorrow – for the losses of others, even though your own loss is great.
Subtlety - A wry smile, a supportive wink or the country nod exchanged between the understanding.
Cheerfulness – A group of teenage girls dressed as clowns and fairies, doing tricks and making balloon animals to provide a moments relief.
Proud – to be an Australian.

On the coffee front, as much as I’m sure they don’t want recognition for their efforts Maisano and Lavazza really earnt some respect from me in the last couple of days.

A huge shout-out to the Maisano crew who had a couple of coffee carts on the ground in Whittlesea and a team of guys working 14 hour days to knock-out coffees. Lavazza deserves a big pat on the back too for supplying the coffee, cups, consumables and lots of foodstuffs needed for those carts.
http://www.maisano.com.au
http://www.lavazza.com.au

The other coffee shout out is for the ECA Giotto from the Snobbery and the Mazer Robur, they managed to pull 2000 coffees in 40 straight hours and the only maintenance was a Cafetto clean in the middle of that stint.

So many great stories of big and small businesses helping where they can, people in nearby towns offering to house people and animals, volunteers working through the night to prepare breakfasts and lunch-packs, school kids working at 6am because they can get a couple of hours help-in before heading to school. Caring people, good people, wonderful human beings.

If you feel the need to help on the ground it will be well received. There will be something for everyone to do in the months ahead and I expect the in the coming weeks as the “media circus gets bored” help on the ground will thin so maybe plan to help out then.

What can you do? Spending time on the ground can be anything from helping pack food hampers or helping sort the mountain of clothing donations into sizes and gender at the local op-shops (who are inundated with donations).

How to start? I suggest heading to one of the relief centres setup in the supporting townships and ask how your time can be best spent, if enough people could spare even a single day helping then there is a pool of resources that can really make an impact.

[TC]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

Positive – the many people that finished a sentence with “at least we have our lives”.
Loathing – for those that could intentionally start this horror.
Apprehension – the return home to confirm the worst.
Courage – of those standing tall against the enemy.
Fear – of the nightly mental replay behind closed eyes.
Exhaustion – taken to the limit of mental and physical endurance and then push a bit more
Loneliness – of your our thoughts and visions in an alien environment.
Frustration – of not knowing the answers or reason.
Agony - of loss.
Embarrassment – of the need to hold a hand out.
Surprised – at how much support is offered.
Sympathy – without words, tear filled eyes making contact convey paragraphs of thoughts
Homesick – for the warm, safe love filled patch of dirt that was your home.
Disgust - for the looters.
Humbled - to have met so many truly great people. Volunteers, victims, staff and donators.
Torment – of not knowing.
Regret – for not understanding the real danger.
Caring – Doing the right thing for no other motivation
Sorrow – for the losses of others, even though your own loss is great.
Subtlety - A wry smile, a supportive wink or the country nod exchanged between the understanding.
Cheerfulness – A group of teenage girls dressed as clowns and fairies, doing tricks and making balloon animals to provide a moments relief.
Proud – to be an Australian.

On the coffee front, as much as I’m sure they don’t want recognition for their efforts Maisano and Lavazza really earned some respect from me in the last couple of days.

A huge shout-out to the Maisano crew who had a couple of coffee carts on the ground in Whittlesea and a team of guys working 14 hour days to knock-out coffees.  Lavazza deserves a big pat on the back too for supplying the coffee, cups, consumables and lots of foodstuffs needed for those carts.
http://www.maisano.com.au
http://www.lavazza.com.au  

The other coffee shout out is for the ECA Giotto from the Snobbery and the Mazer Robur, they managed to pull 2000 coffees in 40 straight hours and the only maintenance was a Cafetto clean in the middle of that stint.

So many great stories of big and small businesses helping where they can, people in nearby towns offering to house people and animals, volunteers working through the night to prepare breakfasts and lunch-packs, school kids working at 6am because they can get a couple of hours help-in before heading to school. Caring people, good people, wonderful human beings.  

If you feel the need to help on the ground it will be well received.  There will be something for everyone to do in the months ahead and I expect the in the coming weeks as the “media circus gets bored” help on the ground will thin so maybe plan to help out then.  

What can you do?  Spending time on the ground can be anything from helping pack food hampers or helping sort the mountain of clothing donations into sizes and gender at the local op-shops (who are inundated with donations).

How to start?  I suggest heading to one of the relief centres setup in the supporting townships and ask how your time can be best spent, if enough people could spare even a single day helping then there is a pool of resources that can really make an impact.

I am so proud to be a member of a community which cares.

Congrats Andy on rolling your sleeves up and getting in there amongst it. With all the horror that survivors, the CFA and those up there have endured, small things such as a coffee and a shower make  people feel human again.

Well done....

2mcm

[Crisp_image]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

After spending 4 days supporting the fire at churchill (SES Staging) We have been demobbed and can rest for a little while. The CFA and DSE and other fire fighters do such an excelent job. There are so many support agencys as well, many that have been mentioned like red cross and salvos but also the wild life carers and down to the local churches. The donations have been great and I urge you to use the well known groups to avoid the rip off people in the world who could not give a SH!T about the tragety and only want to proffit from this. We have had friends who have lost houses and friends who have saved them too. We are thankfull that none have lost life.
This event will go on for years in the impact of lives devistated by the selfless act of a arsonist! (Not that all fires were lit by one)
I thank all those people who have thanked the volunteers and would like to think that you would do the same that we are doing (helping out) as we do everytime there is a disaster. I have staged over 50 SES members from the west of the state who gave up time and income to help our community and I am sure there are other task forces from SES in other areas of the state doing the same.
Regards
Crisp Image

[Andy]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

Nice work Crisp Image. SES, CFA and the DSE (Dept Sparks and Embers) were rolling in and out of Whittlesea 24/7 too. A quick coffee, refuel the truck, fill it with water and roll-out again. Very tough work and hours. Strong east winds today will make it tricky to deploy resuorces in the right areas too as the fire finds new ground. I hope it settles soon but suspect we have a few weeks of danger yet.

[Dimal]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

I would just like to echo what Chris, Andy and many others have already said.... Im lost for words with respect to the devastation that has been wreaked upon individuals, families, communities and the wider regions... I just cant imagine how affected people must feel.

To offset this though, is the great work being accomplished by all the selfless volunteers who belong to the wonderful organisations mentioned above, as well as all the neighbours, friends, mates and people who just need to help in what ever way they can... You all have my unreserved respect....

Thank you all....

Mal.

[bolb]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

Our office had a fundraiser yesterday, morning coffee and cakes etc.
I couldnt make it otherwise i would have taken my machine and grinder in and sold coffees. Instead i put up 500gm bags of roast coffee.
It turned out they sold 6 @ %50 each and 50 people raised $5,100 and the company threw in another $5,000.

I now have a couple of hours roasting tomorrow afternoon.

The plan is to then offer up the same deal to others in the office that didnt make the fund raiser and hopefully get another 5 or 10 bags sold.

All proceeds going directly to the red cross which from all understanding of media reports is the best outcome to giving help on the ground.

Mal

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: Best Wishes to those experiencing fires

I was just informed that my brother who is in the Armed services now stationed in Sydney has been deployed to help in the fire affected areas in VIC

KK