It will take “absolutely years” for people to recover from the Sir Ivan fire, Warrumbungle Shire mayor Peter Shinton has said.
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A total of 35 homes, 131 outbuildings, a church and a community hall were destroyed in the blaze which burned more than 55,000 hectares south of Coolah. Another 11 homes and 42 outbuildings were damaged.
Help – both financial and through volunteers donating their time – has been made available to those affected, but Mr Shinton said it could be 18 months before some people were ready to think about rebuilding.
He said that for many, the fire had destroyed the only home they had ever known.
Many would live in caravans until everything else – from fencing to sheds for their animals – was completed.
“Some people … they’ve never seen anything like this before,” Mr Shinton said.
“Some funds are only open for 12 months. But … you can’t set limits on these people because they’re not in the right headspace.
“It’s a strange thing, disaster recovery.”
An estimated 6000 kilometres of fencing will also need to be replaced after the fire, with Blaze Aid volunteers set to begin work on Monday.
They’ll once again be led by coordinator Laurie Dawson, the Vietnam veteran who took charge in 2013 following the Wambelong fire.
Back then, 584 volunteers worked a total of 6738 days.
They cleared 230 kilometres worth of fencing and installed 188 kilometres – including about $90,000 worth of fence posts.
Volunteers have a huge task ahead of them in 2017, Mr Shinton said, but their value far exceeds the physical contribution. They also help heal the victims.
“The volunteer effort with Blaze Aid will probably occur for about 12 months and when they leave it leaves a huge vacuum,” Mr Shinton said.
“But it starts the farmers talking amongst themselves.”
Messages of support have also been helping victims to heal this time around, with the most moving coming from another community all too familiar with disaster.
Children from the central school in Dungog – where four people died and hundreds of homes were destroyed in the floods of April 2015 – made love hearts and stars reading “we’re thinking of you”.
They now adorn the stage at Coolah Central School.
“It lifts your spirits, there’s no doubt about it,” Mr Shinton said.
“And some of the letters you get from young kids who have … put fundraisers on. They may only raise $50 but it’s … the thought [that counts].”
To assist the recovery effort, donate to the Warrumbungle Shire Mayor’s Bushfire Appeal (Sir Ivan Fire).