By Brendan Rees
A generous Narre Warren truck driver and his friends have donated hay and pet food to victims of fire ravaged areas of New South Wales.
After bushfires devastated communities with nearly 500 homes lost, and more than 1.65m hectares razed and causing the death of six people, Shane Wilkey of Narre Warren decided to do his part in helping victims.
He put a call out on Facebook for anyone wishing to donate “as much feed as we can get together” – with the response, he says, being “bigger than what I thought it ever would”.
Mr Wilkey said people also donated money to KooWeeRup Stockfeed and Petstock in Somerville which was put towards buying animal feed.
The kind-hearted truckie offered his B-double truck, a semi-truck and his step dad’s rigid truck with a tandem trailer before the convoy drove more than 1,200km to Wauchope Showground, carrying much needed hay and pet food on Sunday 17 November.
“We got up there that night and they made us dinner; we had a snooze in the trucks and got up the following morning and went from Wauchope to Birdwood,” he said.
There, they met with the Porter family who kindly loaned their machinery to help unload their feed.
Mr Wilkey explained the family had a 2,000 acre farm and a saw mill but were only left with 20 acres and their home after the fires tore through the region.
“Probably the most amazing thing is the generosity of people up there … they’ve lost so much but they we still trying give us so much in making us a massive lunch,” he said.
“It was a good feeling driving out knowing they were happy and put a big smile on out faces, that’s for sure.
“Everyone bands together and makes it a lot easier when you’re down on your luck.
“The CFA and the rural fire service – they’re all just amazing. Hats off to them I say,” he said.
Mr Wilkey was inspired to help struggling farmers after seeing others pitched in during the Bunyip fires this year.
He said his Nan’s property of about 13 acres in Bunyip went through the Black Saturday fires and Bunyip fires.
Luckily, he says her home wasn’t lost but fences and paddocks were burnt out.
“We know how good it is when other people put their hand up to say ‘we’ll help people out, do our best’,” he said.
