All of us have been devastated to learn of the loss of Don and Donna Reid's home during this week's Cherry Gardens fire. Expressions of love and support from our Board and members have been passed on through their daughter, Kerry, who is providing emotional and practical support to the couple in this heart-wrenching time.
As we learned from Acting President Susanne this week, the Board met to ask (and appoint) Greg Russell to coordinate an "all of club response" after talking to Kerry, Don and Donna to determine their immediate and longer term needs.
Thank you for the many offers of help already extended but please wait until we hear back from Greg about how best to assist them to recover from this tragedy. There are some risk and insurance issues to address first, after which Greg will be in a better position to determine ways in which members can help out in the days and weeks ahead. His contact details are 0427 707 733 and grerussell@hotmail.com).
A Huge Shoutout to our Local Heroes!
While sensible people head AWAY from danger, members of the Aldgate CFS headed the other way...into danger!
Click on the video to experience the drama...
This truck and crew from Aldgate, along with 100 plus others appliances and at least 10 water bombers, fought to bring this blaze under control. This crew helped save a number of homes.
The video above and these below were captured in the thick of the action by Susanne's son, Andrew, a member of the Aldgate CFS.
...and Susanne took these dramatic photos from the Bridgewater off ramp.
We can all sleep easier knowing we are well served by these amazing local, volunteer heroes!
From the summerheatto the winter cold
Yep, that's SNOW outside! A Stop Sign After a Week of Snow
Scary...but true!
If my body was a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model.
I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull...
But that's not the worst of it.
My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close.
My traction is not as graceful as it once was. I slip and slide and skid and bump into things
even in the best of weather.
My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.
It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed and my fuel burns inefficiently.
But here's the absolute worst of it...