- Kevin Butler was on the frontlines during the 2009 Black Saturday fires
- The ordeal inspired him to found not-for-profit BlazeAid which helps fire affected people
- For years he helped rural communities by building fences and friendships
Here Kevin tells his story in his own words.
Patrolling my dry and dusty 1200- acre sheep farm in my truck, I’d spent a sweltering morning looking for spot fires.
After months of almost no rain followed by weeks of 40+ degree days, my town of Kilmore East, Vic, was like a tinder box.
When the hot, dry north-westerly winds arrived on February 7, 2009, it wasn’t a matter of if, but rather when and where, a fire would flare up.
So I was spotting for the Country Fire Authority.
At 11.47am the winds knocked down powerlines on the perimeter of my property and a minute later I saw what we’d all been dreading – flames.
Sitting on the highest hill on my property, I felt like I was staring death in the face as the fire raged just 500m away.
I called it in to the local brigade and, leaving my wife of 35 years, Rhonda, then 52, to watch our home, I went to join the ranks of the CFA trying to protect properties and lives.
That day would become known as Black Saturday.
By midnight, almost 400 fires burned across the state and it took weeks before they were extinguished – but not before claiming 173 lives, more than 2000 homes and 450,000 hectares of land.
Thankfully our home was spared, but we lost three kilometres of fencing and 1000 of our sheep escaped, never to be seen again.
Like most farmers, it had taken me decades to fully fence my property and, then aged 54, I despaired at the mammoth repair job.
‘It’s going to take me four months to fix that on my own,’ I sighed to Rhonda.
Then I had an idea.
Taking out an ad in our local paper, I asked if anyone would be willing to lend a hand.
With the scale of loss in the area I wasn’t expecting a response, but 25 people, including complete strangers, rallied.
With Rhonda whipping up three home-cooked meals a day to feed everyone, the work was done in a week.
I was overwhelmed with gratitude.
‘What about our neighbours’ fences?’ Rhonda asked.
‘You’re right. They deserve help, too,’ I agreed.
So I launched my own not-for-profit, BlazeAid, to help people impacted by the fires with getting their lives back on track.
To help spread the word, I spoke on radio and TV asking for more volunteers.
The first to arrive were Ray and Robin McIntyre from WA, who drove 3000km with their caravan after seeing the devastating impact of the fires on TV.
‘We’re here for as long as you need us,’ they said.
We set up BlazeAid’s headquarters in our shearing shed, and used our property as camping grounds for the 50 to 80 volunteers – from young backpackers to retirees – that showed up.
Cash donations from the public and businesses started coming in, and organisations like SecondBite and Foodbank delivered food.
Rhonda, who’s originally Italian, made sure every exhausted volunteer ate like royalty after a day of rebuilding farmers’ fences.
‘Have some more spaghetti, and another bread roll!’ she’d say.
We planned on running BlazeAid for a month, but there was still so much work to be done that it was extended to 11 months.
As demand grew, we set about training the more experienced volunteers to be camp co-ordinators.
Even in the dead of winter, when volunteers endured below freezing temperatures in their tents and caravans, they kept showing up. We ended up with 3600 volunteers restoring the fences on 400 different farms.
But natural disasters don’t stop, so neither did we.
Farmers by nature are hardy folk, but they’re also incredibly vulnerable.
Isolation, being at the mercy of the elements and the economy, and then watching everything you’ve worked for destroyed in the blink of an eye, can take its toll on your mental health.
Hearing raindrops on the roof can trigger severe anxiety years after a flood.
That’s why BlazeAid is as much about human connection as it is about providing practical help.
Each day before they leave base camp and head to the farms, volunteers make a packed lunch to share with the farmers.
‘Farmers by nature are hardy folk, but they’re also incredibly vulnerable.’
They all sit under a tree, eat and talk and, after a few weeks, it’s not just fences that have been built, it’s also friendships that endure long after the BlazeAid camp has moved on.
Over the years we’ve helped out in all sorts of natural disasters. During the Black Summer bushfires of 2020, we had 46 camps aiding farmers all over Australia.
We handed out $1 million worth of perennial grass seeds so farmers could regenerate land and feed animals.
Most recently we’ve helped with floods in Queensland and fires in Victoria. Our 40,000 volunteers have rebuilt over 18,200km of fencing.
And we’ve contributed around $400 million of disaster relief in Australia.
Sixteen years on, my daughter, Melissa, 47, is now the CEO of BlazeAid, and I’m focusing on running our farm.
There have been dark days over the years, but when I feel low I just go for a drive around the property.
Seeing the fences those volunteers built for me after Black Saturday reminds me how they invested their blood, sweat and love into my future for no personal gain.
We have a book full of letters from farmers expressing their gratitude.
BlazeAid helped me re-fence my property at a desperate time of need after fires. I am and always will be in great debt to all for the help and support, one farmer wrote.
They’re not just fences, they’re monuments representing the core of community spirit. It’s a reminder to every farmer that we’re not alone, and we haven’t been forgotten.
Visit blazeaid.com.au