Rising From The Ashes
Thankfully last week brought with it some much-needed rain, albeit only a small amount. With that rain came an easing of the catastrophic fire danger that has plagued New South Wales for the past month. As the danger now eases we’re beginning to bear witness to the devastating impact these fires have had on individuals, families, communities and our wildlife.
Now the hard part begins. Rebuilding our lives and communities.
Over the last few weeks the rebuilding process has a seen Sydneysiders, and Australians as a whole, donating incredibly generously. Since the beginning of the year the Red Cross Disaster Response And Recovery Fund alone has received over $35 million in donations. Alongside this financial support the NSW Office Of Emergency Management (OEM) has received such an influx of physical donations they have had to ask for donations to cease as they are simply unable to process or store any more physical goods.
Whilst the fire wrought an unprecedented toll there has also been subsequent flow-on effects for many communities. Many of the hardest-hit communities typically rely on an influx of tourist dollars during the summer holiday to help sustain local business throughout the year. With these fires isolating large swaths of the State these dollars haven’t flowed in, as usual, this year.
Hence the creation of a wonderful campaign, #GoWithEmptyEskys.
This campaign calls on Sydneysiders to travel to these small communities, whether it be for a simple day trip or a longer weekend stay with nothing more than an empty esky. By doing this you will then be more likely to purchase food, drinks and various other small items at small business along the way. Every dollar spent at these local stores will directly help support a local family.
As a small example of how a simple day trip to the south coast could help multiple small business Sydneysiders could;
- Stop in at the famous Berry Donut Van – while not directly impacted by the fire this business is reliant on tourist dollars. And you’ll get a delicious treat along the way.
- Play a round of golf at any of the picturesque golf courses dotted along the coast
- Have lunch/dinner at a local family restaurant/take-away
- Take surfing lessons
- Get a haircut at one of the great local salons
- If you enjoy your time so much you want to stay a little longer, book a night at local Bed & Breakfast
As an added benefit to this journey you’ll get to witness not only the expensive nature of the destruction from these fires, but also the beauty of nature as it springs back to live from within the ashes.
However, if you can’t make your way out of the city there are still a number of fantastic ways you can support the relief efforts here in Sydney.
Fire Relief Fund For First Nations Communities & WIRES
Jan 16. The Bearded Tit, 183 Regent St, Redfern.
The Original Wiggles Reunion Show For Bushfire Relief
Jan 17-18. Castle Hill RSL, 77 Castle St, Castle Hill. $35+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.castlehillrsl.com.au
Out Of Bounds Fire Relief Festival
Jan 18. Campbelltown Athletics Centre, Cnr of Rose Payten Dr &, Pembroke Rd, Leumeah. $69+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.frontiertouring.com/outofbounds
Jam Jam Jam (Comedy Night)
Jan 18. The Newsagency, 74-76 Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Annandale. $16.50+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.stickytickets.com.au
Football For Firies
Jan 18. Ian McLennan Park, 50 Wyllie Rd, Kembla Grange. $2
Inner West Music Fest
Jan 19. Pratten Park Bowling Club, 42 Arthur St, Ashfield. $5-$10 at the door
FireAid 2020
Jan 24. Bong Bong Picnic Racecourse, 460 Kangaloon Rd, East Bowral. $20-$250+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.premier.ticketek.com.au
Fire Fundraiser Featuring Hockey Dad & Dune Rats
Jan 24. North Wollongong Hotel. 3 Flinders St, North Wollongong. $60-$100+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.moshtix.com.au
Ryan’s Rocks For Red Cross
Jan 24. Ryan’s Hotel, 138 Phillip St, Thirroul. FREE
MoshPit Bushfire Fundraiser
Jan 24. MoshPit, 642A King St, Erskineville. Entry by donation (plus $1 from drink sold will be donated)
Taronga Zoo – Twilight At Taronga Concerts
Jan 31-Mar 7. Taronga Zoo, Bradleys Head Rd, Mosman. $67.15-$144+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.twilightattaronga.org.au
Bushfire Relief Dance Party
Jan 31. Annadale Creative Arts Centre, 81 Johnston St, Annandale. Entry by donation ($20 suggested)
Friendlyjordies present John Howard Really Sucked
Jan 31. Paddo RSL, 220/232 Oxford St, Paddington.
Punk/Hardcore Fundraiser For Victims Of Recent Bushfires
Feb 1. Moshpit, 642A King St, Erskineville. $10
Bushfire Benefit Dinner
Feb 1. Bopp & Tone, 60 Carrington St, Wynyard Park. $150-$900+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.boppandtone.com.au
Sydney Sings For Hope
Feb 2. Bowman Hall, 35 Campbell St, Blacktown. $25 at the door.
Bushfire Benefit Show
Feb 8. The Cambridge Hotel, 789 Hunter St, Newcastle West. $20+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.thecambridgehotel.com.au
Swingin’ For The Rain
Feb 15. Bondi Bowling Club, 1 Warners Ave, North Bondi. $40+b.f Tickets & Info: www.eventbrite.com
Fire Fight Australia, National Concert for Bushfire Relief – Hosted by Celeste Barber and featuring Queen + Adam Lambert, Alice Cooper, Delta Goodrem, and many more
Feb 16. ANZ Stadium, Edwin Flack Ave, Sydney Olympic Park. $70-$100+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.firefightaustralia.com
Comedy Steps Up for Bushfire Relief – Tim Minchin, Arj Barker, Kitty Flanagan, Joel Creasy, Julia Morris, and more
Mar 16. Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Bennelong Point, Sydney. $149.90-$1999.90+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Band Together 2020 Concert For Southern Highlands
Mar 28. Venue TBA, Picton.
Pepper Lunch
Donating 10c for every photo posted with them tagged and the following hashtag, #PLBUSHFIRESUPPORT
Cadbury
Donating 100% of proceeds from the sales of Freddo, Caramello Koala and Furry Friends products until Jan 17
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Donating 100% of the proceeds from sales of a special download pack, entitled ‘Outback Relief’, until Jan 31
Charities
Red Cross – www.redcross.org.au
Salvation Army – www.salvationarmy.org.au
St Vincent de Paul – www.donate.vinnies.org.au
Rural Fire Service (RFS) – www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
County Fire Service Foundation (CFS) – www.cfsfoundation.org.au
WIRES – www.wires.org.au
RSPCA – www.rspcansw.org.au
Koalas In Care – www.koalasincare.org.au
Indigenous – GoFundMe for First Nations’ communities affected by the fires – www.gofundme.com
Finally if any of our readers encounter any distressed or displaced wildlife the NSW National Parks And Wildlife Service have a few helpful tips.
- Provide a safe, wild-life friendly watering area. Which should include;
- Clean, fresh water (changed daily)
- Strong, stable containers to avoid them tipping over or collapsing
- A cleared area with shade to allow nervous wildlife to watch out for predators and keep cool
- Should be away from children and pets
- If you find injured wildlife please contact you local rescue group or vet. However, if that’s not possible take the following actions;
- Remove threats from the animal including small children, cats and dogs.
- Cover and contain the animal in a box lined with a towel.
- Don’t give food or water unless instructed by a trained wildlife rescue volunteer or a vet.
- Keep the animal inside in a quiet place, allowing it to rest with no disturbance.
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