Off the fence

By Kath Gannaway
TAKING on the job of getting fences erected in the bushfire-affected areas of the Yarra Valley is no mean feat.
The Department of Primary Industries estimates that around 8000 kilometres of boundary fencing was burnt out in the February bushfires. A fair percentage of that was around the valley.
Dixons Creek beef cattle farmer Lyn Mullens is working with the Victorian Farmers’ Federation as fencing co-ordinator for Yarra Ranges, in conjunction with Yarra Ranges shire, organising volunteers to help replace fencing and providing information to affected landowners.
She estimates she lost round seven kilometres of boundary fencing.
She also lost her home, farm sheds and kilometres of internal fencing, a cruel blow coming just months after the death of her husband Brian.
It’s a sequence of events that has devastated Mrs Mullens, but not defeated her.
Her farm and business knowledge, contacts in the farming community and empathy are proving invaluable. The work is unending but it is also a distraction, providing her with a reason to keep forging ahead.
“Every time I go to the farm I come away wanting to scream and cry. But I think ‘I haven’t got time for that … I have got get on with it’,” she said.
The urgent need is for local volunteers.
She estimates that about two-thirds of the landowners affected were not insured and with the average cost of fencing at $10,000 a kilometre even for a small property the cost is prohibitive.
“We desperately need more people. We are getting them from the Melbourne suburbs and have two teams coming in May and June but we can do with people right now, even if it’s only for a few hours or a day, what they can contribute is vital,” Mrs Mullens said.
“People may feel they need expertise but all they need is a pair of wire cutters and a willingness to help out,” she said.
Volunteers are covered under the VFF insurance policy and other safety gear is supplied.
David Jupp spent a day helping Yarra Glen property owner 89-year-old Vivienne Carlyon. He told the Mail it was one of the best things he had ever done – and he’d be back.
Mr Jupp from Malvern had a day free and felt he had something to offer.
He contacted the VFF who put him in touch with Mrs Mullens who is working out of the Relief Centre in Yarra Glen.
“She decked me out and pointed me in the direction of Vivienne’s place and we went from there rolling up wire from the burnt fences and removing any loose posts ready for the new fence to be put in,” he said.
“Just going out there gave me an idea of the extent of the damage of the fires on the fences. Vivienne was not able to do the work herself and had animals to look after. There was a job to do and I was just happy to do it,” he said.
The cups of tea and fruit cake, he said, were a welcome bonus on top of the satisfaction he got from the day’s work.
“I can recommend it. If there’s a sports or service club, a community group, or just two of three friends who can get together for a day, it is a very achievable way of helping out,” Mr Jupp said.
Mrs Mullens said farmers were facing some overwhelming problems coming out of the fires and urged them to take advantage of the assistance being offered at the Relief Centre.
She said while there was currently no grant for fencing, there were grants available for other applications but that people needed to get advice on where they fitted into the various schemes.
“For certain grants you need to be a registered primary producer with an ABN number, and that is where for instance self-funded retirees are falling through the cracks.
“Another thing people are not aware of is that they can access a financial counsellor at no cost who will do a farm budget, or that there is a recycling company who will remove steel and iron and pay for the metal so they have something coming back from the buildings and fences they have lost,” Mrs Mullens said.
To volunteer phone the VFF on 1300 882 833.