Time & Resources Volunteered by MA Services Group to Help Fire-Ravaged Area

MA Services Group volunteered their time at a Relief Centre on Sunday, 12th January to help with the fire disaster in Gippsland also bringing with them 10 vehicles of supplies.

MA Services Group has always placed people at the heart of what they do, so it was a no-brainer for them to volunteer their time to assist at a Relief Centre in fire-impacted Gippsland on Sunday, 12th January 2020.

6 senior managers from MA Services Group and an office team arrived at the relief centre with 10 vehicles of supplies and spent the day assisting their neighbours, helping out wherever they were needed.

A spokesperson for MASG said,

“We feel humbled that we’ve been able to play a small role during this devastating series of bushfires that have affected our local community, by volunteering our time and donating supplies.”

“Knowing that many other organisations and individuals have also come together to offer assistance makes us feel proud to be part of such a close and caring community.”

In fact, so many goods and services have been donated over the past few weeks to help bushfire affected communities in East Gippsland that on January 21st, the Courier newspaper reported that relief organisations had been unable to get items into communities.

As a result, the State Government has partnered with the Bendigo Bank and the Salvation Army to launch a fund for people wishing to donate money with 100% of the donations going directly to the affected communities.

The appeal is conducted by Bendigo Bank’s charitable arm, the Community Enterprise Foundation who are also accepting international donations. The Government has also contributed $2 million to the fund to ensure affected families and communities have the support they need right away.

The purpose of the fund is to provide practical support to the Victorians facing a struggle to rebuild their lives and will cover the costs of everything from groceries to replacing school uniforms to help meet the most urgent needs of local families. It will also be used to help rescue and rehabilitate local wildlife.

Premier Daniel Edwards expressed his hope that the fund will assist families who have shown remarkable courage throughout their ordeal - ensuring that they don’t have to worry about small but vital things such as putting food on the table and getting their kids to school.

How bad is the situation?

Bushfires occur on an annual basis in Australia, but this season has been unprecedented.

Months of severe drought and record-breaking temperatures have fuelled many bushfires across Australia. But while cooler temperatures and rain have recently given some respite, there are still in excess of 60 fires burning in the states of Victoria and New South Wales.

The death toll has been rising on a daily basis, scores of homes have been reduced to blackened ruins, millions of hectares of land have been left in ashes, and the blazes have turned huge areas of Victoria and New South Wales into disaster zones.

While some conservative politicians have tried to play down the severity of the bushfires, the numbers that are unfolding, indicate why experts are stressing that these bush fires cannot be regarded as “normal”.

How much has burned?

Fires have burned more than 1.2 million hectares of land in Victoria and an existing ‘state of disaster’ was extended ahead of dangerous conditions, forecast to occur between the 2nd and 11th January. This enabled the authorities to enforce preliminary evacuations before the fire took hold..

244 homes and hundreds of structures have been destroyed across the eastern side of the state while the state’s death toll from fire is 3, which includes 1 firefighter.

Residents stranded in some of the isolated communities sparked a serious safety warning from the authorities as they attempted to cut their way out of bushfire zones to reach closed roads.

Fires in Gippsland have also impacted dairy farmers already struggling from competitive milk prices and years of drought. So far, between 50 and 60 farms have been affected by fires with loss of pastures and fences and damage to sheds and other structures. Early figures also suggest that 1100 livestock across sheep, dairy and beef have died in East Gippsland and Victoria’s Upper Murray.

When will it be over?

Australia’s fire season traditionally lasts well into March. Recent rains have, however, given firefighters some respite. This has allowed them to take control of many of the bush fires that are still raging.

In light of this, MA Services Group have pledged their continued support in anyway they can, to keep up to date with any changes on