Chipping in for the recovery efforts
I JUST WANTED TO GO AND OFFER TO HELP SOMEONE REBUILD. PIERS SMART
TRADIES around NSW are donating their time and effort in a special bid to help bushfire affected communities rebuild their lives.
While some people generously donate money and resources, these tradies are giving up their free time to help some of the worst-affected communities in what’s being described as “Airtasker for fire relief”.
Piers Smart, founder of Tradies for Fire Affected Communities (TFFAC), says although the group has only been up and running for a few weeks, the positive response has been overwhelming.
“I started the group just after New Year because I really wanted to play a role in helping out,” he said.
“I wasn’t able to do it financially just coming out of Christmas, I just wanted to go and offer to help someone rebuild.
“I thought well maybe I’d put a Facebook group together to see if I could get any other mates to come along but then it just went nuts.”
The group – that now has more than 13,500 members – serves as a platform to pair tradies who are looking to donate their time and skills to people in need from fireravaged communities.
Tradies post to the group or sign up via the website and are then linked with somebody whose needs fit the tradesperson’s skill set.
“It’s just hit a nerve with everyone We’d all do it for our mates on weekends so what’s different to help out someone like this?” Mr Smart said.
“We’re not a matchmaking service, we’re just a platform at the moment for people to post and then others can jump in and help, but
I think we’ve helped 50 or so people so far.”
On one occasion, a family’s only bridge in and out of their property was completely destroyed by fires but thanks to TFFAC, it was able to be worked on the next day.
Mr Piers said if there were tradies out there who wanted to get involved to look up BlazeAid or sign up to TFFAC via their website.
Northern Beaches-based electrician contributor Harry Evans said he was stoked to be able to contribute to bushfire relief.
“What five people can do in a few days will change a struggling farmer’s whole year,” he said.
“Once the fires are out of the news these people will still need help.”