As well as second-hand clothing donated, new items, such as about $10,000 of RB Sellars clothing organised by Farm Angels, plus vouchers, totalling about $10,000, were given to the donation-drive.
Ms Schmidt said the first priority was to give people who had lost homes a chance to choose donated items.
She said they had been able to contact everyone who had lost homes because they either knew them personally or they had left a contact number on the door for people to ring them.
“Unfortunately a lot of them were my friends – like my best friend lost her home,” she said.
“It’s a small town, you know everyone so we’ve just been getting in contact.
“I worked a bit with Lou down at the relief centre just to keep her updated on what we are doing.”
Ms Schmidt said she became involved because she wanted to help people.
“Unfortunately we lost my grandpa’s house – it was empty, but it was all the memories lost that’s been a bit hard – but I love helping people,” she said.
“I always try to get involved in the community as much as possible, just trying to help where I can.”
Ms Schmidt said the community had rallied around each other, offering both physical and emotional support.
“Everyone’s been on such a high at the moment, but I think now everyone’s just slowing down and some people are starting to get a bit teary and because they’ve lost their homes, you’re just trying to best support them,” she said.
“We’re all in this together. We want to help as much as we can, but we don’t want to flood them with too much.
“So I think it’s been good having them see a familiar face because they all know who I am, so I’ve just been giving them vouchers or keeping them updated.”
Ms Schmidt said some people who lost their homes were not yet in a position to accept larger items.
“People have been trying to donate household goods, but unfortunately we’ve got nowhere to store them and people have nowhere to store them, so that one’s been a bit tricky. We’ve just been telling them, please be on standby,” she said.
The Nati Café has been the central point for donated food – meat trays from Treloar’s Country Cuts in Murtoa, premade meals from The Centre of Participation, as well as home-baked goods and pantry supplies, while The Goat Gallery had turned into a one-stop-shop for free cleaning items.
Café owner Leeanne Lindorff said as well as food items, Kmart and Toyworld had donated items, and Norton Estate was working on donations for teenagers.
There was also books and games available, as well as a quiet space for people who just needed items, and a communal space for people wanting to gather.
“Treloar’s Country Cuts in Murtoa brought a whole lot of meat packs, so we made sure we found out who was missing, who didn’t have a house, where they were staying,” she said.
“The Centre for Participation probably did about 200 frozen meals. We got a lot of them out to seniors.”
Fire crews patrolling
An advice message is still in effect for East Natimuk, Grass Flat, Lower Norton, Natimuk, Quantong, Vectis, Vectis East, and Vectis South. The fire is under control but firefighters continue to patrol the area and attend to small flare ups, and residents are reminded to stay alert for dangerous trees and electrical hazards.
As people continue to clean-up after the fire, which began at Grass Flat, northwest of Natimuk, and spread throughout Natimuk before a wind change moved the fire east to Quantong and Vectis, there has been many people helping on the ground with recovery efforts.
CFA District 17 acting chief fire officer Terry Fradd said a cause for the fire was still to be determined.
Mr Fradd said fire chiefs were hoping the outskirts of the fire would be secured yesterday, ahead of hot temperatures and potentially a high fire danger forecast for Saturday.
“I think Forest Fire Management Victoria will be still out there for the next couple of days, dealing with the creek and all the trees in the creek, particularly all the big, old red gums,” he said.
Hub remains open
Fire-affected community members from Natimuk, Quantong and surrounds are welcome to visit the Natimuk Recovery Hub, which remains open this week, to access valuable information and support.
Alongside a wide range of services available throughout the week, staff from Horsham Rural City Council, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, and Grampians Community Health will be on-site to offer assistance to people who would like to speak with them.
“The Natimuk Recovery Hub is playing a crucial role in our long road to recovery,” Mayor Brian Klowss said.
“The dedicated staff on the ground are doing an incredible job, working tirelessly to ensure that everyone receives the support and assistance they need during this challenging time.
“I encourage everyone affected by the fire to visit the Recovery Hub in Natimuk and make use of the range of supports available.”
The hub will be open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm at the NC2 Building, 62 Main Street, Natimuk.
People who were affected by the fire and were unable to register while the Emergency Relief Centre was open can visit the hub to register.
For people who have any further questions, the team at the hub will be able to assist and give the right support. For updates on community support, people can visit the council Facebook page or website www.hrcc.vic.gov.au/Our-Services/Emergency-management/Grass-Flat-Telfers-Road-fire-recovery.
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