Truckloads of mateship from strangers pulled into Pomonal within days of the fire that tore through the town in February, exemplifying the Aussie spirit of even the most true blue.
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On May 13, it is three months since the Grampians fire devastated the small town of Pomonal on February 13, 2024, taking 46 homes, outbuildings, possessions., fences, grass, trees, and animals in its path.
It was a blessing that no lives were lost, but lives were certainly impacted and will remain so for a long time.
As the community slowly recovered and started rebuilding, some believe it is time to tell untold stories of kindness and generosity.
John Matthews volunteers with the Pomonal Community Resilience Group, a Pomonal Progress Association Inc (PPA) subgroup, wants to acknowledge the extraordinarily kind and generous farmers from the Sea Lake and Berriwillock Districts who offered help when his community needed it most.
"This story must be told," he said.
"This group of farmers heard about the fire's impact on Pomonal and quickly realised that there may be a need for hay and fodder for livestock in the area."
They contacted the local publican, Col Macaffer of Barney's Bar & Bistro, to find out if help was needed and suggested a couple of truckloads of hay would be available.
Col contacted Mr Matthews and told him that a couple of truckloads of hay would be coming down from Sea Lake/Berriwillock in a week or so to assist with feeding the animals.
They were scheduled to arrive on March.2.
After a few phone calls and some quick thinking between John Matthews, Col and Susie Macaffer, Mike McMurtrie and Jill Miller, the location for the hay and the ability to unload it was organised.
On March 1, pictures of two B-double trucks of hay were sent to the Pomonal volunteers.
They quickly realised that two truck loads would be more than they needed at that time..
Dadswell Bridge had also been impacted by the fire with heat, which caused losses of fodder, grass, trees, and shrubs.
So, farmers at Dadswells Bridge were contacted, and through some quick negotiating again, it was organised for one of the trucks to go to Pomonal and the other one to Dadswells Bridge.
On March 2, one B-double load with 59 large square bales of Barley, Oats/Wheat, and Vetch hay arrived at Pomonal, and the other load of 58 bales went to Dadswells Bridge.
The delivered hay really meant a lot to the people with livestock who had lost fences and grass from the fire. It allowed the livestock to stay in situ and receive the needed feed.
The farmers from Sea Lake/Berriwillock showed one of the key characteristics contributing to the Aussie Spirit: mateship to strangers, " said Mr Matthews.
"Australians take pride in their strong sense of mateship.
"For them, a stranger is just a mate they haven't met yet.
"This camaraderie extends beyond friendship; it's practically a national trait," he said,
Aussies are good friends and neighbours, not just to people they know but to anyone in need, and Pomonal needed mateship in their time of need.
On behalf of the farmers and the stock the hay fed, Mr Matthews wanted to tell this story so they know how much their generosity meant to the mates they had yet to meet.
