In the two days Daily Liberal journalists spent in the fire-ravaged Warrumbungle local government area they met people at their most vulnerable. They had lost homes, cherished possessions ... their livelihoods.

Regardless of the devastation at properties, journalists were greeted with a smile and hand shake.

For a brief time the journalists were welcomed into victims’ lives with patience and a willingness to share their heartbreak – still raw.

The victims are real people – they are not just figures in a report you read online or in a newspaper.

The fire made headline news and while it initially caught nationwide attention, something a property-owner said resonated.

“We feel like we’re already being forgotten.”

Media coverage had attracted instant support for the farmers, but now attention has shifted to events and issues elsewhere.

The community response with donations has been undeniably generous. ‘Overwhelming’ is the common term used to describe it. Donations of food and clothing, money and services etc. have poured in to the Sir Ivan area to help the victims.

Now the next stage of the process is underway: recovery.

People from all over are swarming to the area to donate time to help rebuild lives. We live in a country where people of all backgrounds will give up days, months even, in response to complete strangers in need.

From building fences, cleaning houses, cooking meals to coordinating fundraising efforts, volunteers are helping strangers whose lives have been torn out from under them in a natural disaster.

It is the ultimate display of ‘Aussie mateship’.

Those of us who still have homes to return to, gardens, pets and priceless possessions have a responsibility to support those in hardship. This is not a one-day crisis, it is a long-term nightmare for the victims. We all have a duty to help victims back to their feet.

In a time where we are so focused on the latest iPhone, the Kardashians, the Oscars mix-up, we should not forget those facing a monumental struggle in our own backyard.