As many of you know by now, there are some crazy wildfires happening in Australia, and they have been going on for months! These catastrophic fires have forced half of my family and a lot of my friends out of their homes with nowhere to go. With only the clothes on their back and the valuables they could fit in their cars, they ran. My dad is a New South Wales fire fighter and has been for some 20 years. He is also captain of the Coledale Fire Brigade. My eldest brother Toby is in the Australian army and has been deployed in relief efforts to help clean the roads of broken trees, power-lines and also help in the collection of deceased animals that need to be buried.

The pictures in this blog were taken by my father in the front line of defense / containment. My dad told me several times how sad it is to have such a little impact on the overall outcome. He explained to me how bad the fires are and how their goal is to try and contain the blaze, minimize the damages, and try to give any fleeing animals a fighting chance. He told me about a fire south of Sydney that was so bad that they had to get in the firetruck and retreat, the blaze was too big, too strong and spreading too fast for them to tackle. They had no other option but to back off and just succumb to the power of mother nature.

In addition to the fires, the nation’s capital, Canberra, was pounded by a massive hail storm rocketing down chunks of ice the size of golf balls. There was also a huge sandstorm down in New South Wales and in the state of Victoria that covered miles and miles of land. I am writing this blog to inform you about how you and I can help!

But first, here are the facts:

  • The fires started for a variety of reasons: lightning strikes, broken power lines, campfires, cigarette butts, uncontrolled burns, and unfortunately some were intentionally lit. 
  • Almost 30 people have lost their lives and almost 30 more have been declared missing.
  • An estimated ONE BILLION animals are dead, including over 40% of the Koala population and many Kangaroos.
  • Roughly 15 MILLION acres of land has been burnt to a crisp, and some continues to burn as you read this.
  • Around 25,000 buildings no longer exist, including 1,400 homes.
  • The air quality across the country was declared at a hazardous level for the first time in our nation’s existence.
  • The hail storm caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to cars and houses, and left some individuals injured in the hospital.

Here’s what you and I can do to help:
Share this story and help spread awareness to your family and friends.
Donate! As little at $25 can help plant a tree and save a Koala.
There are many online portals that you can donate to, these include:

  •  WIRES: You can donate here
  • The Australian Red Cross: You can donate here
  • NSW Rural Fire Fighting Service: donate here
  • GOFUNDME pages to help out endangered wildlife species and struggling Australian communities.

Nazareth Men’s Hockey Team Vs. Chatham University:
4PM Saturday 15th February @ Bills Gray’s Regional Ice Complex (2700 Brighton Henrietta Town Line Rd)

  • Attend the game and buy a game worn jersey, 50/50 raffle tickets, Australian gift baskets, and other auction available.
  • TO BID ON A JERSEY click here: jersey auction