Students from Geelong Grammar's Timbertop campus were on the ground at Longwood to help BlazeAid rebuild fences damaged in the January fires.
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A group of students has swapped classrooms for post drivers, travelling to Longwood to help BlazeAid rebuild fences and restore properties damaged in recent bushfires.
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The Geelong Grammar School’s Timbertop students joined experienced BlazeAid volunteers on properties across the district, helping clear fire‑damaged fencing, strain wire and learn practical skills rarely taught at school.
For many, it was their first experience working on a rural property, and their first direct exposure to the scale of recovery required after a major fire.
BlazeAid camp co-ordinator Debra Ong said the contribution from school groups was invaluable, both for the physical workload and the boost it gave to farmers and volunteers.
“They get stuck in, and they make a real difference,” she said.
“Each team works alongside our volunteers, learning fencing skills and helping landholders take a big step towards recovery.”
Across the Longwood operation, hundreds of kilometres of fencing have been cleared and rebuilt, with volunteers coming from across Australia and overseas.
Ms Ong said the work was ongoing, with many farmers facing tens of kilometres of fence damage.
The school groups teamed up with experienced BlazeAid volunteers, developing practical fencing skills and learning about bushfire recovery.
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Timbertop deputy head Brad Bolden said being involved in the BlazeAid effort helped students understand the real meaning of service.
“Through their work with BlazeAid, students experienced firsthand what it means to contribute to a community in need,” he said.
He said seeing the impact of the fires up close was a powerful learning experience.
“Seeing the scale of the damage, alongside hearing the facts and figures about livestock and property loss, helped students grasp the true impact of the fires on the community,” Mr Bolden said.
He said speaking directly with affected farmers was particularly significant.
“Most importantly, speaking directly with the farmers affected put a human face to the tragedy,” he said.
For the students, the experience was as much about community as it was about construction.
Working shoulder to shoulder with farmers and volunteers, they gained an insight into the realities of rural life and disaster recovery, and the resilience of communities in the aftermath.
Between days in the paddock, the students camped at the BlazeAid base in Longwood, hearing first‑hand stories from locals and emergency services about the fires and their impact.
BlazeAid relies entirely on volunteers and donations to continue its work, prioritising properties where fencing is essential for livelihoods and where people are uninsured or underinsured.
Ms Ong said groups such as the Timbertop students played an important role in reinforcing that recovery was a shared responsibility.
“Even one day makes a difference,” she said.
“When people turn up willing to work, it means the world to those who’ve lost so much.”
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