Solidarity sent 10,000 miles from Shropshire firefighters to volunteers battling bush fires in Australia
A message of hope and solidarity travelled 10,000 miles from Shropshire to Australia in support of the brave volunteer firefighters battling bush fires.
Pauline Dee, from Wem, travelled to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales this week to deliver a message of solidarity from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service to the volunteers out in Australia risking their lives trying to tame the horrendous bushfires raging across the country.
Pauline's son, Jon Dee, has lived and worked as an environmentalist in Australia since 1992. When she planned to visit him this month, she knew she wanted to take a special message out with her and so asked Rod Hammerton, Shropshire's Chief Fire Officer to write a letter.
Upon arrival in Australia, Pauline, a Shropshire councillor, was greeted with open arms by the Katoomba and Leura Rural Fire Service Brigade and Blue Mountains mayor, Mark Greenhill, as they cemented the bonds of friendship from opposite ends of the world.
"They were absolutely thrilled to pieces to receive the letter and they said they felt very humbled that people were thinking of them so much across the world," she said.
"The amount of work that they have done is amazing. In one month, they did 5,000 hours of volunteering.
"Places that I have visited before are devastated, it is dreadful. The trees are just black and the loss of wildlife is harrowing."
The letter from Rod Hammerton, said: "At the time we were already aware that work was going on day and night to try and hold back the fires.
"We have watched the unprecedented events unfold. I am fortunate enough to look after a rural British fire service and their commitment pales next to that of the volunteer fire fighters risking their lives and health to protect their communities, all without financial remuneration."
The fires raging in the country have devastated masses of land and homes and Pauline said that to re-visit the places she had once seen in their splendour years ago was heartbreaking.
"When I went to visit a cider farm, some of the women there had buckets of water and mops and were hitting the embers with the wet mops to try and stop them because they kept billowing across with the wind.
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"One of my friends from Wem had some Australian dollars in her house and she gathered them all up and found $300. I told the lady there that I had given the money to the fire service there and she put her arms round me and kissed me.
"She said she couldn't believe the kindness of people."
Pauline described the overwhelming sense of gratitude the volunteer firefighters felt as their selfless efforts were recognised by a community across the globe.
Along with the letter, Pauline presented them with a plaque and offered her understanding as her late husband was also in the fire service for nearly 30 years.
She added: "I have a connection to the fire service, and I know what the firefighters had to go through. We all have to stick together."
