Fencers Without Boundaries winds up

After another very successful year the UGLN fire recovery fencing program 'Fencers Without Boundaries' (FWB) has finally come to an end.

SA Rotary volunteers fencing at Kinglake (2011)

Victorian Mobile Landcare Group (2010)

FWB stalwarts John Belfio and Alan Stafford at Sunday Creek (2011)

Fire affected landowners provided the fencing materials and UGLN provided the volunteer labour. For over three years volunteers with our fencing program contributed 3580 days to rebuild 246 KM of new fencing and remove 87.3 KM of burnt and damaged fencing on properties throughout Murrindindi and Mitchell Shires. 


Fencing off a wetland at Glenburn with CVA volunteers (2012)

Benalla High School students with
Uniting Church volunteers (2010)



International Bible Study volunteers with Alan helping to
fence off  the Spring Creek at Flowerdale (2012)

Funded by the Federal Governments 'Caring for our Country' and the 'Recycling for Recovery'
program, we were able to put tens of thousands of dollars back into the local community and small business' by sourcing local hotel and bunkhouse accommodation, catering and meals for our hardworking volunteers, quality tools and hardware from local suppliers, safety wear and PPE, the list goes on. 


Four Wheel drivers Marg, Geoff, Fred, Mitch and Ron. (2010)

We sourced volunteers from many areas and have been well supported by the Uniting Church, 4WD Clubs of Victoria, SA Rotary, Green Corp, Victorian Mobile Landcare Group, Benalla Secondary College, Hughes Creek Catchment Collaborative, Marcellin College, Conservation Volunteers Australia and International Bible Study Group Australia. As well as many corporate groups including NAB, ANZ, Earnst and Young, GPT Group, CPA and Cadbury.

NAB fencing at Kilmore East (2011)

ANZ volunteers removing burnt fences (2010)

Special mention must also go to the following individuals for the many, many days they volunteered towards our project: Alan Stafford, John Belfio, Neil Ireland, Lance Morrisby, Alan Diak, Tom Maddern, Chris Renwick, Rev. David Howie, all the Shepparton boys including Howard, Peter, Don, John E and John C, 4W drivers Geoff, Ron, Fred, Marg and Mitch, SA Rotarians Tony, Jannine, Brian, Kevin and Shirley and very sadly the late Glen Clement.

Shepparton boys having a break for lunch (2010)

Fencing volunteers and landowners at a 2011 get together.

In 2012 our priority was for fencing to protect native habitats such as waterways, native vegetation and revegetation sites. We built 31.8 KM of fencing on private land to protect riparian areas along the King Parrot, Spring, Mountain and Stony Creeks and also to protect over 20 hectares of remnant vegetation across the Kinglake Ranges.

Our equipment and volunteers are still being put to good use helping the Strath Creek Landcare Group with the fencing component of there biodiversity project.


Kevin Roberts (SA Rotary), Alan Stafford (Uniting Church) and Chris Cobern (UGLN)

Spring Creek Rehabilitation

Landowners along the Spring Creek in Flowerdale have been taking advantage of UGLN's fire recovery fencing and revegetation programs. In conjunction with the GBCMA waterway grants for fencing and off stream watering.

Volunteers constructing fences on the Spring Creek

With our assistance to date six landowners along Spring Valley Road in Flowerdale have fenced off their streams and remnant vegetation to assist the ecologically important riparian land along there waterways recover from the impacts of fire and grazing pressures.
Their are many benefits associated with fencing off waterways including reduced erosion, better water quality, shelter effects for stock, increase in capital values and a healthy ecosystems.

Volunteers from GPT Group

The group of volunteers pictured from GPT did a great job constructing 300m of fencing despite a wet and boggy day.

Recent plantings on the Spring Creek

Fencers Without Boundaries 2012

The Upper Goulburn Landcare Network fire recovery fencing program 'Fencers Without Boundaries' is now into its fourth and final year.

To date volunteers with our fencing program have contributed over 3000 days to rebuild 236 kilometres of fencing on fire affected properties throughout Murrindindi and Mitchell Shires. Only a fraction of the estimated 3,500 kilometres destroyed in the 2009 fires but significant for those landowners we’ve assisted.

Volunteers fencing off bushland at Kinglake

Volunteers at a Flowerdale property

This year our priority is for fencing to protect native habitats such as waterways, native vegetation and revegetation sites.  As seen in these photos of volunteers constructing fences for a revegetation corridor and a section of the King Parrot Creek in Flowerdale.

To volunteer or to find out more about our fencing program phone Chris Cobern on 5736 0104.

Fencers Without Boundaries

Our UGLN fire recovery fencing program 'Fencers Without Boundaries' has just completed another very successful year.
To date volunteers with our fencing program have contributed over 2500 days to rebuild 220 kilometres of fencing on fire affected properties throughout Murrindindi and Mitchell Shires.

Funded by the Federal Governments 'Caring for our Country' program, we have put tens of thousands of dollars into the local community and small business' by sourcing local accommodation, catering and meals, timber & hardware, transport, machinery, hotels, safety wear suppliers, the list goes on.

We have also employed locals from Whittlesea, Kinglake West, Yea and Kilmore.

Our program will continue in 2012 but our focus will be on fencing to protect native habitats such as waterways, remnant vegetation and revegetation sites. As seen in these photos of CVA and Uniting Church volunteers recently fencing off a tributary of the Yea River from cattle.

To volunteer or to find out more about our fencing program phone Chris Cobern on 5736 0104.

Fencers Without Boundaries - Still bounding along



Terry Hubbard thanking our volunteers

We recently said goodbye and thank you to two of our stalwart fencing teams SA Rotary and the 4WD drivers at a bbq in Strath Creek (pictured left). Between the two teams they have rebuilt 62km of fencing as part of UGLN's Fencers Without Boundaries (FWB) fire recovery fencing program.

This is by no means the end of FWB.
UGLN is committed to the program until the end of 2011. With the continued assistance of the Uniting Church, our loyal volunteers from Shepparton and Melbourne and corporate groups such as NAB and Earnst & Young, all ably lead by our fencing team leader Alan Stafford.
We will continue to assist landowners rebuild their fences.

Alan Stafford and UGLN Coordinator Chris Cobern

Volunteers from  E&Y.

ANZ Landcare Fire Recovery Week

Another very succesful week of volunteer work carried out with volunteers from the ANZ bank.
Throughout the week 96 volunteers assisted us with fencing, weed control, nest boxes and tree planting at fire affected properties at Kilmore East, Pheasant Creek, Strath Creek, Heathcote Junction and Narbethong. The team did a great job despite at times having to battle steep slopes and thick scrub with leeches and prickles.

Four Wheel Drivers Fencing Team

Geoff, Fred, Marg, Sparky and Ron are the stalwarts of our 4WD fencing team. They have been donating their time on weekends to help landcare and bushfire recovery. They have been a great help fencing in the muddy, wet conditions this winter where four wheel driving expertize was needed. They have worked on properties at Glenburn, Castella and Kinglake. Chris Cobern has been supervising their activities and they have been staying overnight at the Kinglake Scout Hall to make full use of their time.
Thanks guys and girls for your participation in the Fencers without Boundaries project.

Letter from another happy customer:

"Dear Chris, Just a short note to thank you and the fantastic gang led by Geoff for helping with the re-fencing of my property on Deviation Rd Kinglake. What a fantastic group of people. I could never have done it alone and their dedication has been inspiring. I appreciate that they have been doing this now since the fires on a regular basis and my only regret is that I did not nominate them all for an OA which I believe they are worthy of. If there are any plans along these lines please count me in. They have worked on the fencing at my place alone through 40C heat and six inches of snow and during days of consistent and sometimes heavy rain. Nothing stops them or dampens their spirit.
I feel very humble having had the privilege of working along with them all. They seek no praise. They say thanks and move on to the next challenge when it is us that are in their debt. Janet and I will never be able to thank them enough.
Thank you also Chris for all your help. I know the effort you personally put into assisting people like Janet and I affected by the fires with inadequate insurance and no farm insurance to cover costs of re-fencing. Your work as Fire Recovery Landcare Coordinator and that of the
Upper Goulburn Landcare Network is truly appreciated.
I take pride in having the teams efforts acknowledged on the sign you have posted."

Sincere thanks, Barry and Janet.

Fire Recovery Fencing Blitz

The last few months of 2010 was a fencing blitz for the fire affected people of Glenburn, Kinglake, Flowerdale and Pheasant Creek.

The volunteers kept coming. We had individual volunteers from Reservoir, Wallan and Belgrave; the Uniting Church boys from Shepparton and Benalla, Green Corps from Seymour, 4WD club from Melbourne, a corporate group from Earnst and Young and even a team of Rotarians from SA.

We're all having a well earned rest over January but will be back into it in February. This time helping those patient residents of Clonbinane and Wandong who have had their names down on my list since early 2010.

Photo's include the Shep boys being well fed by Des and De Cash of Kinglake West, the SA Rotarians at a Kinglake property and E & Y at Flowerdale.

Conservation Volunteers lend a Hand

An international team from Conversation Volunteers Australia helped out with our Fencers Without Boundaries program for 5 weeks in the Buxton/Narbethong area during May-June 2010.
The group was well lead by team leader Andrew Matthers and constructed many kilometres of fencing.

Marcellan College Boys Fencing

23/6/2010

The Boys from Marcellen College did a great job clearing away this burnt fence on the Leadstone property at Kinglake.

It rained all day but they volunteered to get wet

27/6/2010

This NAB team was pulling down a burnt fence on the Mt Slide Rd in Kinglake . It was an extremely wet day but this group insisted on volunteering for the bushfire recovery project. They worked with Chris & Bridget all morning before eventually giving in the good sense and calling it day at lunch time . 63mm of rain fall that day !

Fencing in Flowerdale

On a fine spring day 30 staff from NAB Financial Planning completed 2km of fencing at Paul Michael's Flowerdale property. The NAB team were supervised by Mick Yarwood and some of the Shepparton fella's from the Uniting Church's fencing team. The property is nearly 1000 acres and very steep and rugged country and we spotted a couple of snakes but this didn't deter the very enthusiastic team from putting in a great days work.

A couple of weeks later we finished the remaining 800m with great help from Benalla High School students and teachers supervised by a couple of our SA Rotary fencing team.

Powerful Performance by Origin Energy Team

26/10/2010

South Cathedral Farm

Award Winning and Pet Friendly Luxury Bed and Breakfast Cottages

The rebuilding process has really moved along at Megan & Marty's place since we last visited with volunteers. The holiday cottages are up to painting stage and a bore drilling rig was working to provide a water supply to the new gardens .

Today's project was to clear vegetation from a burnt fence line . Preparing the site for the Uniting Church fencing crew to put up a new fence in the next few weeks.

Nineteen Origin Energy volunteers arrived by coach from Melbourne believing they were doing a 'weeding' job. This was very extreme weeding and the hardest , most exhausting volunteer day I have done !

Conditions were beautiful as Megan & Janet disappeared into the scrub with their chainsaws revving . The Origin Energy team followed with loppers and hand saws, clearing a four metre wide path through the regrowth and dead burnt tea trees. The front team cut and pulled while the rear team dragged and stacked the cleared vegetation into bonfire heaps. The three girls who volunteered for the catering crew cooked a wonderful BBQ back at the house aided by the bus driver. We worked for 5 hours and cleared 200 metres. This does not sound like a lot but it was a massive effort by everyone. Thank you very much guys. I think there would have been lots a sore muscles in the office on Wednesday.

Notable firsts : The first snake for the season was spotted (by a girl who expressed a fear of worms before we started working so you can imagine how she felt about snakes !) and the first Gucci handbag to be worn on a volunteer day appeared. It is modelled by its proud wearer in the pics .

Alan Stafford - Paul Harris Fellowship Award

Fencers Without Boundaries.

Alan Stafford was recently presented with the Paul Harris Fellowship Award by the Rotary Club of Yea.
As a volunteer with the Uniting Church Alan has been coordinating the rebuilding of fences throughout the shires of Murrindindi and Mitchell since shortly after the 2009 Black Saturday fires.
Since joining forces with the UGLN fire recovery program ‘Fencers Without Boundaries’ in March 2010 Alan and his team of volunteers from Shepparton and Benalla have rebuilt over 100km of fences.
The presentation of Paul Harris Fellow recognition is The Rotary Foundation’s way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programs.
Rotarians often designate a Paul Harris Fellow as a tribute to a person whose life demonstrates a shared purpose with the objectives of the Rotary Foundation.
Chris Cobern.

A nice letter

Mr. Chris Cobern
Fire Recovery Landcare Coordinator
Upper Goulburn Landcare Network
Shop 5/10 High Street
Yea, Vic., 3717


Dear Chris,

RE: FIRE RECOVERY PROJECTS


We would like to express our appreciation and thanks to the Management and Staff of the Upper Goulburn Landcare Network for the assistance rendered to us since the ‘Black Saturday’ Bushfires.

As you are aware, we suffered fire damage during the fires, and lost most of our fencing, trees and pasture. We were in dire straits here and were extremely thankful that you were able to kindly help us during this trying time.

Your untiring efforts on our behalf, in coordinating all aspects of the work are most appreciated, and we would ask that you pass on our thanks to all concerned. The assistance of staff from the NAB Bank was also appreciated, as well as the Victorian Mobile Landcare Group, and the other volunteers who attended with both yourself and Janet Hagen, to re-establish our fencing and plant trees, and we will be forever grateful.

Thank you once again.


Yours sincerely,


Beverly and Jim

Fencers without Boundaries

These photos were taken at Extons Rd Kinglake. We rebuilt fences for Joe Exton and his neighbour Lou Calageri with the Uniting Church and 30 NAB vol’s.
The volunteers also removed English broom, holy and blackberry from 2 acres and the roadside.
The weather was cold and even some snow fell in the morning but fined up for a nice afternoon.
Lou and Bridget Calageri put on a great bbq lunch which the bus driver as usual helped cook for us.