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Blackford-Avenue Range Bushfire

Our Community

A grass fire broke out in the Blackford, Avenue Range and Lucindale areas on Monday 11 January 2021 and burned more than 17,000 hectares of grass and scrub land with a perimeter of some 85kms.

The fire destroyed three homes, numerous sheds, thousands of livestock and significant losses of fencing.

A heartfelt thankyou to the CFS, the many volunteers and farmers who were on the frontline fighting the fire and to those who are rallying around the families and communities affected.

The following links and information is provided to assist those who have been impacted by this major fire event.

Message from the Mayor's

Dear Community Members,

The Blackford-Avenue Range bushfire has been a very frightening and traumatic experience, particularly for those living in the vicinity of the fire area, and our thoughts are with you all.

We sincerely thank all the people who were involved with fighting the fire, including CFS personnel and volunteers, emergency management personnel, farmers, and community volunteers.

We have received many telephone calls and messages of concerned thoughts, support and offers of assistance.

His Excellency, the Governor of SA, Hieu Van Le, wishes to pass on his gratitude to all involved, his concerns for all who have been impacted by the fire and his care and best wishes in the forthcoming recovery. Calls from the Premier, Stephen Marshall, the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, David Basham, and Senator Penny Wong also included offers of assistance.

Many South Australian Mayors have also phoned or sent messages offering understanding and offers of support and assistance including Mayors Michael Pengilly (Kangaroo Island), Bill O’Brien (Light Regional Council – Pinery fire), Dave Burgess ( Mid Murray), Peter Hunt (Berri Barmera), Des Noll (Wattle Range), Richard Sage (Grant), Alison Noonan (Robe), Lynette Martin (Mount Gambier), Anita Frank (Glenelg Shire), Sam Telfer (Tumby Bay), and Naracoorte Lucindale Council and Kingston District Council continue to work together. It is so heartening to receive the many offers of assistance and donations which will support with recovery.

As we now move from the immediate fire incident to a recovery phase, we will be facilitating a community meeting in recognition that the Blackford-Avenue Range fire is a disaster for our community.  It has caused widespread destruction across many properties, impacted livelihoods and will no doubt leave an emotional toll that may take some time to be realised. This will provide those directly impacted by the fire, and other interested residents, an opportunity to hear from the people on the ground during the fire fight as well as support that is available now.

The immediate response to the fire and addressing the impacts on our community is a priority for our Councils. For us, this includes supporting lead agencies, logistics around community support and information provision, connecting those who want to provide help to those who need it and where possible, providing real assistance to those in need. Our initial efforts have focussed on assisting CFS, making our road network safe and accessible, and working with PIRSA on stock losses and disposal.

We acknowledge that the Lions Club of Lucindale has already shown great leadership and community spirit in coordinating donations and stock feed, and we aim to work closely with Lions and other parts of the community to deliver the services and outcomes required.

Our community is resilient, we know that.  However, we can help you better if we know what you need, so don’t be afraid to put your hand up.  We are here to support our community in a difficult time, and will respond to any of your concerns, as we all transition to the recovery stage of this fire event, with all the energy and resources we can reasonably muster.

Mayor Erika Vickery OAM, Naracoorte Lucindale Council

Mayor Kay Rasheed, Kingston District Council

BlazeAid Meeting
BlazeAid Meeting - Wednesday 27/1/21 @ 6.30pm

There will be a meeting hosted by Naracoorte Lucindale Council with BlazeAid, Lucindale Lions Club and farmers and landowners affected by the fires, next Wednesday 27/1/21 at Lucindale Hall starting at 6.30pm to discuss what help can be provided for farmers and landowners with their recovery after the fires.

There will be a sausage sizzle and refreshments on the night

BlazeAid will be setting up camp at Yakka Park, Lucindale, as from next week to help farmers with fencing requirements.  Its volunteers will be assisting with the pulling down of old fences and erection of new fences. Mary Howarth, the camp coordinator, will be there to answer questions about how BlazeAid can assist farmers.

Any farmers wanting to register for help with BlazeAid, please contact Mary Howarth on 0429 3675 38 or email blazeaid.mary@gmail.com

Alternatively, you can contact Norm Summerville, Lucindale Lions Club, on 0408 859 386; or Naracoorte Ludindale Council on 876011 00 or email council@nlc.sa.gov.au; or visit the Lucindale Council Office.

Livestock Assessment

Department of Primary Industry SA (PIRSA) is coordinating livestock assessment in the wake of the devastating fires at Blackford, Avenue Range and Lucindale.

If people need assistance or information regarding livestock please call 1800 255 556.  The Naracoorte Lucindale Council are assisting with removal and disposal of deceased livestock and native animals.

Donations

Cash Donations: The Lucindale Lions club are accepting cash donations to assist those families that have been impacted by the fire. To donate please contact the Lucindale Post Office on 08 8766 2020.

Feed / Hay Donations: Donations of stock feed and hay are being accepted at Yakka Park in Lucindale by the Lucindale Lions Club for distribution to local farmers. If you have stock feed or hay to donate please contact Peter Corrigan on 0418 394 980.

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