When Lake Bolac's Acting Sergeant Sam McCaskill put a call out for donations of hay, he didn't expect it would end in a 15-truck convoy, $150,000 worth of hay, and Defence Force helicopters.
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Community members from Lake Bolac and surrounding towns have transported 10 trucks of hay to East Gippsland after a mammoth fundraising effort.
The hay was then picked up by Defence Force helicopters and flown into remote bushfire-affected communities.
Volunteers from Lake Bolac and surrounds drove the hay to Orbost last Thursday and will drive another five truckloads in the next couple of weeks.
The effort started in early January when Acting Sergeant McCaskill posted the call out on his personal Facebook page after conversations with residents about the unfolding bushfire crisis.
"No one really knew how to help," he said.
A Defence Force Helicopter picks up hay (video: Sam McCaskill)
"It was the in the middle of harvest and I said 'if you like, I'll put a post out and see if we could get a truckload of hay."
The community treated it like a call to action.
"It was overwhelming," Acting Sergeant McCaskill said.
"People were ringing up and saying 'I've got four bales, I've got six, I've got a truckload'. People were offering trucks and transport."
Acting Sergeant McCaskill decided to call in help from Victoria Police to get the hay where it was needed, who in turn handed the hay over to the Defence Force.
"I touched base with the local farm crime liaison officer at Orbost and they facilitated the delivering of hay to the fire-affected areas," he said.
"The networks across the state are utilized for information, crime prevention and community support, and it's this network and the wonderful generosity of our local farmers that got it where it needed to go.
"Sometimes with charity you don't get to see where it goes, so the army being there and flying it straight into the areas that needed it - that was fantastic to see."
Read more: Help flows for Cathcart family after fire
The effort was also supported by the Victorian Farmers Federation, which registered the trucks and helped link the volunteers in with communities in need.
The drivers spent a night in Lakes Entrance, where they were warmly welcomed by the community.
Boxes of donuts and hot coffees were delivered and each box had a message inside it, thanking the community of Lake Bolac and district for its generosity.
The volunteers were also put up in motels for the night at a cost of "next to nothing" before heading on to Orbost, Acting Sergeant McCaskill said.
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