February 9th – 13th 2009  Australian Machinery Wholesalers initiated a Bushfire Relief Appeal in Industrial  Place Breakwater near Geelong.  The Fund provided facilities equipment and storage for the Community of Geelong  to donate items for the victims of the tragic recent Victorian Bushfires. Volunteers then sorted the goods to size and gender and prepared them ready for transport.

We have an ongoing commitment to now distribute the goods donated  to the victims of the Bushfires with the assistance of Senior Sergeant Damian Downie of the Victoria Police Force (Member of the Material Aid Group or MIG – established to assist with the Distribution to Bushfire Victims) Alan Hayward – Kinglake Flowerdale Area Commander and the Murrindindi Shire. The experience was a very successful and gratifying community project leaving all involved with a sense of pride and achievement.

Australian Machinery supports various charities and groups through the donation of new clothing we are able to purchase from the Australian Defence Force as well as other suppliers. Australian Machinery sends clothes and goods to many homeless and support groups and agencies both in Australia and Overseas.

We recently donated clothing to the Victims of the floods in Fiji and large quantities of clothing to orphanages  in Uganda. Our vision is to establish a permanent facility run by volunteers to assist those less fortunate in our community on an ongoing basis and not only in times of crisis as recently experienced with both the Victorian Bushfires and the North Queensland Floods.

Than you to our Volunteers:  Published in the Geelong Advertiser Thursday 19th February 2009.

We would like to sincerely thank the hundreds of volunteers and donors who attended the collection warehouses at Industrial Place in Breakwater, between February 9 and 13 to assist with the "Bushfire Relief Appeal." Without you, our vision and ongoing commitment to assist those in the affected communities could have not been possible.

The response of the Greater Geelong Community was overwhelming. Over the five days volunteers, donors and supporters worked tirelessly in the collection, sorting and preparation of goods for the families and victims of these recent tragedies. The generosity of people from all walks of life was unprecedented and we are certain the efforts of the Geelong Community will be greatly appreciated by everyone.

Each day we watched as many volunteers arrived as total strangers, leaving many hours later very tired and weary, but feeling rewarded by the efforts of their involvement.

The results of our efforts are staggering. Over five days, volunteers helped sort and fold, by gender and size, in excess of 180,000 items of men's, women's and children's clothing for immediate distribution to victims in need.

The extensive list of donations included: Over $500,000 of brand new clothing and footwear, food and grocery items, toys, recreational equipment for children such as bikes scooters and trampolines, tools and hardware, whitegoods, bedding and linen, prams, cots and baby wear, pet food and medical products. Three cars and one caravan were donated and distributed to members of the Kinglake community to assist parents in returning to work who had lost their vehicles in the bushfires.

Over 14,000 items of brand new clothing was delivered to the Whittlesea Relief Area within 12 hours of the appeal at Breakwater having commenced. These were the balance of some 35,000 brand new items of men's and women's clothing and footwear items recently purchased by Australian Machinery from the Australian Defence Force.

More than 530 Pellets of everything required for families to resettle in their communities was donated, including approximately 180,000 items of excellent quality clothing, sleepwear, bedding, toys, prams, board games, TV's, fridges, and dining table settings. This equates to about 26 semi-trailer loads of goods, estimated to be worth in excess of 5 million dollars.

A permanent relief facility

May we learn from this experience and rally our Local Council and Local Government representatives to support and help establish a permanent facility in the Geelong area that will enable families and businesses to donate goods all year round. The desire by so many in our community to reach out and make a difference to those in need should be recognised and harnessed. A Family Relief facility run by volunteers would provide a resource to assist individuals and families in our community who are disadvantaged, not just during a specific crisis, but throughout the year.

Our ongoing commitment

The commitment of our volunteers and donors to help bushfire victims is ongoing. We are now working with representatives from many of the Shires and communities affected, as well as church and community leaders, to provide collection and distribution of much needed goods. It's difficult to comprehend the devastating loss of life and property suffered by our fellow Victorians, but we will support and assist with rebuilding of these communities through the generosity of the Geelong community. Our thanks and praise go out to the courageous men and women of the CFA who risked their own lives to assist in saving the lives and property of so many in the bushfire regions. We applaud their outstanding efforts and those of many Government agencies still working tirelessly to assist and support those affected.

On behalf of all the victims and families of those affected by the Bushfires, we would like to especially thank the following individuals, families and companies who helped make the Bushfire Appeal a truly memorable and life changing experience for all involved. Thank you to:

• Rob Norton of Cadbury Schweppes, who generously donated $100,000 + worth of Cadbury Schweppes Products. Rob contacted our company within hours of the appeal commencing, offering Cadbury Schweppes support and contribution.
• Rai Pallett from Tinky Clothing in Pakington St donated boxes of brand new women's clothing and she was also instrumental in organising many other donations from the apparel industry in Geelong and Melbourne.
• Tania Austin from Cotton On Clothing, Dejcuba Clothing and other brands Sass and Fate donated tens of thousands of dollars of brand new women's clothing.
• Kardinia Cafe provided hot meals for hundreds of volunteers each day.
• City of Greater Geelong Manager of Customer Service Tim McDonald and his exceptional team including Vicki Harris and staff responded to over 8000 calls over the five days, assisting implementation of goods collection from donors.
• Georgie Faulkner of the Waterfront Christian Church and the Members of her Youth Group attended the Appeal offering kind words of support. Georgie's work with the youth of Geelong and her influence with members is commendable.
• Alan Hayward of the Kinglake & Flowerdale Communities assisted with the distribution of goods to the affected areas.
• Frank and Rhonda Furnari worked tirelessly throughout our relief campaign to help make the collection week possible.
• Nathan and Naomi Lacey and family supported the campaign with valuable assistance and resources.
• Chris Brayshaw of Imperial Cranes supplied trucks and drivers to make deliveries to the Whittlesea area.
• Eve Hollenkamp, Sarah McLeish and Quiksilver Clothing donated of 2 pellets of brand new Quiksilver clothing and volunteer staff helped sort donated goods.
• Head of the Geelong Grammar School, Stephen Meek, Head of Bostock House Campus Daryl Moorfoot, teachers Andrew Groves, Jane Marney, Gavin Dowling and the students of years 3 and 4 helped with sorting donated goods.
• The students placed special messages of love and support inside the boxes of goods being distributed to children in affected areas.
• Benders Bus Lines donated transportation of the Bostock children to and from the warehouses.
• Alcoa Australia management and staff provided meals for the volunteers, while some members of the Night Shift team attended the collection centre to lend support.
• Bay FM, Mark Highland, Paula Kontelj and Laurie Atlas assisted in providing valuable information to the public, which inspired so many volunteers and donations.
• Malo Kids of Pakington St, Suzie and her family donated new children's clothing.
• Emu Footwear donated 3 pellets of brand new sheepskin footwear.
• Hepburn Springs Mineral Water donated products to the Appeal.
• Staff of Australia Machinery in particular Paul Vigilante, Rod Abbott, Ryan McLeod and Stephen Chui helped to organise the Appeal Week.
• Barney Johnson for his assistance and Laura Horniblow who baked and prepared food each day for hundreds of volunteers.
• The Winchelsea, Torquay, Ocean Grove and Colac Communities donated many quality items, and volunteers provided support and assistance through the week.
• City of Greater Geelong, and in particular, Patrick Powell and his staff, assisted with the collection of rubbish and waste management.
• Rotary Club of Geelong provided meals for the volunteers during the operation.
• K Rock and in particular Matt and "Chicken" assisted in keeping the public information flowing to generate valuable help and donations.

 
Our apologies to any of the Volunteers whose names were not received and listed on the Volunteer Register.
We had the support of over 1000 volunteers over five days and nights and we sincerely thank each and every one of you. Finally, to all the volunteers and donors who helped make this week an overwhelming success, on behalf of all involved, we say, "Thank You".