BlazeAid - Students in Service

Eight Somerset students recently embarked on a journey to Nymboida in an effort to lend a hand to those people whose lives had been changed by the devastating fires last November. We left the Gold Coast on a Friday hoping we could help people who had suffered from the fires; however, by Sunday afternoon we realised that the experience had even more of an impact on us.

On Saturday, we were faced with a 100-metre stretch of land over a steep inclined plane which by the end of the day had all given our hamstrings and calf muscles a good workout. We were told the only people to admire a fence are those who erect it. It’s true. What a good-looking fence it was! During this moment we realised our presence among the community there and the hope we gave locals, was more powerful than any manpower we could have provided.

None of us had ever experienced fence building before; however, under the mentorship of Zol, our BlazeAid Team Leader and property owner Joe, we quickly learnt the ropes. Soon after lunch, we had constructed 500-metres of fencing using both barbed-wire and normal wire. Mid-Saturday afternoon, we were exhausted and took a much-needed side-trip to Red Rock. In this pristine waterway, we floated down the Corindi River before filling ourselves with potato scallops. Saturday evening saw our group performing a concert for volunteers bringing everyone together and providing a sense of comradery among all who attended.

Many life lessons were taught over the weekend that we will be able to take into our future lives, and we left knowing our presence and muscle had helped property owners Joe and Mary who are certainly doing it tough at the moment like so many around our great southern land.