In the charred aftermath of Victoria's devastating bushfires, a new and urgent battle has begun for farmers across the state: the fight to save the livestock that survived the flames. With thousands of animals already lost and many more starving, communities are rallying in an extraordinary display of solidarity to keep their remaining herds and flocks alive.
A Farm Transformed into a Lifeline
Seventy-year-old Neil Tubb, a fifth-generation farmer from Longwood, has turned his property into a vital distribution hub. After spending Friday and Saturday fighting the encroaching fires as a Country Fire Authority volunteer, his focus shifted on Monday to coordinating a massive hay depot for desperate farmers.
Stacks of donated hay now surround his dry, dusty farm, with spray-painted signs directing traffic. Inside a large shed, a team of volunteers, including Tubb's daughter Sarah, meticulously track incoming and outgoing supplies on spreadsheets, fuelled by adrenaline and community spirit. "If we were doing 16 hour days or 18 hour days at our normal work, we'd be legless by now," Tubb remarked, highlighting the relentless pace of the emergency response.
The Scale of Loss and Suffering
The fires have left a trail of destruction across Victoria, claiming one life, destroying hundreds of homes and structures, and burning thousands of hectares. As of Monday, 12 large fires continued to burn. The toll on agriculture has been catastrophic.
The Victorian Farmers Federation reported that more than 15,000 livestock have perished, a number expected to rise. Many surviving animals are severely injured and require euthanasia, while others face starvation as their pastures and feed supplies lie in ashes.
Tubb, a veteran of both the Black Saturday and Ash Wednesday fires, spoke grimly of the local losses. "Personally, I know a young bloke... who manages a very big property, not far from here. I know he's shot 900 sheep," he said. The priority is to end suffering quickly, but the scale is overwhelming.
Community Spirit Fuels the Recovery
In the face of this disaster, the response has been swift and heartfelt. Tubb reported that over $200,000 worth of hay had been donated in less than two days, with supplies arriving from across Victoria, New South Wales, and as far away as Gippsland. Social media appeals have mobilised a wave of support.
"People just want to help," Tubb said, describing convoys of vehicles, from old utes to large trucks, arriving chocker-block with bales. This effort is breathing life into the close-knit community he describes. "It sort of brings everybody together this sort of thing," he observed, noting that many neighbours had lost everything.
Local Euroa MP Annabelle Cleeland, who was volunteering at the depot with her young children, emphasised the urgency. Her own family property was devastated, and her husband faced the grim task of euthanising 1,000 livestock. "Our story is everyone's story," she stated.
Cleeland called for immediate resources to clear roads and accelerate recovery, pleading, "Let's not delay the suffering of humans and animals any further." She praised the resilience of volunteers, many of whom had gone straight "off the fire truck and onto the hay truck" without a break.
"This is why we survive," Cleeland said. "This is why we can rebuild, and this is why we live here – because we love our community despite all of the risks." As the smoke slowly clears, it is this unwavering community spirit, embodied in the hay stacks on Neil Tubb's farm, that is forging a path forward from the ashes.
