During a dire time, the Central Highlands community came together.
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People at both the evacuation area in Bothwell and Miena supported evacuation efforts and emergency services battling the blazes in the area.
Central Highlands mayor Loueen Triffitt along with council and Red Cross staff organised accommodation and resources for people forced to leave their properties around the Great Lake.
“Yesterday was a very big day, the Central Highlands community have been working together helping each other,” Cr Triffitt said.
“My grandson’s been here on holidays and he’s been excellent, yesterday we were both meeting people coming in and we’re greeting them with their pets as well.”
The Bothwell Community Hall received 21 evacuees from Miena, accommodating 13 in local residences such as the Grange B&B and Bothwell Hotel.
Cr Triffitt said communities in the northern area of Great Lake unable to reach Bothwell had been evacuated north towards Deloraine.
With winds expected to pick up later in the week, Cr Triffitt said she was worried about what directions the fire could go in.
“That could be quite frightening if it goes around Arthur’s Lake to the Flintstone area,” she said.
“At the moment we’re very concerned about what is going to happen, especially over the next few days it’s quite a big concern.
“Bothwell is the central place where we have facilities and, fingers crossed, we hope the fire won’t get to Bothwell.”
Cr Triffitt said a big concern for the Bothwell support team was those affected emotionally by the fires.
“Most people have been fairly good but also we have some that are a little bit nervy and worried about what the future will be,” she said.
“They have been nervous to wait to see what condition their home may result in at the end of it all this so it’s a concern of course for everyone.”
It just proves how fantastic the Central Highlands are by coming together, working together, helping each other and keeping in touch - it shows a very strong community.
- Loueen Triffitt
While many residents and visitors in Miena had been evacuated, some stayed to help out where possible.
Both workers at the Great Lake Community Centre and Great Lake Hotel, along with resident volunteers remained to help prepare meals for firefighters and police.
Owner of the Great Lake Hotel Kaylee Hattinger said it was their pleasure to stay back and help those who are helping their community.
“Dinner tonight will be rissoles with gravy, corn on the cob with cabbage and potato bake,” Ms Hattinger said.
“We treat them like royalty, they’re worth every effort that we’re putting in.”
Ms Hattinger said that sourcing food had been difficult, however they friends had brought in what they could to help.
“At 4:45 we had our first messages this morning of shopping lists, we’ve been on the phone to Coles and ordered stuff for tomorrow,” she said.
Due to the possibility of being forced to evacuate at any moment, Ms Hattinger said it was important not to plan meals too in advance.
“We’re basically only keeping one day’s supply ahead,” she said.
“We’ve been working like that so tomorrow’s menu is planned and it’ll either get cooked or it won’t , we’ll see how we go.”
Ms Hattinger said it was great to have the help of residents who, despite the danger, stayed back to help.
“These are blokes who are just staying in shacks up here and they came up yesterday and asked if they could use our shower and we said ‘yep’ and then they came in and helped,” she said.
“They’ve been packing lunches, they’ve been making sandwiches, they’re now making nut mixes we can put in lunches.
“We love this community, we love this town.”
Toni Glowacki, along with a number of Great Lake Community Hall staff stayed back and made scones and cakes for the firefighters and police to snack on when off duty.
Ms Glowacki said it was important to make sure those with special dietary requirements got correctly made meals.
“We’re basically being mum’s at the moment,” she said.
One senior firefighter said that the ladies baking in the community hall had been nothing but supportive of emergency services and the crews stationed there, and they were truly grateful for the help they had been.
Cr Triffitt said it was fantastic to see the Central Highlands come together and help out one another in these tough times.
"It just proves how fantastic the Central Highlands are by coming together, working together, helping each other and keeping in touch - it shows a very strong community.”
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