By William Coleman
The Australian continent is on fire and may continue to burn for another 5 months. Holiday areas, camps, sites and leisure companies have been devastated by these wildfires. Yet, despite all this loss the caravan community is pulling together to help those in need.
As I am sure you’re aware Australia is going through some extremely rough times at the moment. As of right now it has been estimated that over 1 billion animals have been lost due to these fires and over 80 people have sadly lost their lives.
The fires have burned a surface area that is equivalent to 21,309 New York Central Parks and in this huge space there have been thousands of people’s homes and businesses lost.
One area which has seen some significant losses is the caravan sector. All across the most affected areas caravan parks, with both holiday and permanent accommodation, have been totally wiped away.
Despite suffering some major losses the touring community have come forward to help house people whose homes have been taken by the fires and those who have been evacuated due to the smoke and other fire related issues.
All across Australia parks that have not been affected are opening their doors to people that need temporary accommodation while the fire rages on.
People from the private sector have also come forward to help both people and wildlife as their respective homes are reduced to ash.
People from the Northern beaches have been working flat out to help out and provide shelter for as many people and residents as they can. Katy Young from Palm Beach has donated her beloved retro caravan, named Dorothy, to a group who own a kangaroo sanctuary that has been lost due to fire. So now kangaroos will be joining the touring community.
“On New Year’s Day I was so distressed over the bush fires so I decided to donate my caravan called Dorothy and the Facebook post went viral,” Ms Young said.
“I said if someone needed a roof over their head, I was giving her away and it got shared 55,000 times.
“A man phoned me about a woman who had an animal sanctuary and she needed the caravan to be on site so she could treat the animals. He told me it was the second time she’d been wiped out and I thought she was a brilliant recipient.”
She said she knew Dorothy had “a greater purpose in life”.
“I wasn’t using her so I decided to sell her but on New Year’s Day I saw the news about the fire truck that drove through the fire storm and I decided to give her away.”
The caravan was named Dorothy after her favourite movie, the Wizard of Oz. It’s a 1985 Viscounts Ultralite.
Another caravan owner, John Parry, 67, who lives thousands of kilometers away wanted to do his part to help. Not having the funds to send cash he instead donated his 1970s era caravan to provide a roof over the heads of those in need.
The caravan needs a bit of a wipe down and some air in the tires but it is a perfect 4 berth van that could make a world of difference to a family in this trying time.
There are just a few examples of touring folk who have come forward all across Australia in a desperate time of need, support and charity. It makes you proud to be part of such an amazing and charitable community.
