South West FiresWest Australian Racing

RIO

There are a lot of industry people who have properties near and in the path of the fire.

Best wishes to you all and i hope your getting the help you need. Stay safe and as much as it will be heartbreaking to leave your animals behind, please make sure you leave yourself enough time to get you and your families out if the fire gets too close.


[-O<

JayJay

All the Manjimup crews left last night for Waroona, both DPAW and Volunteers...returning the favour from last year at Northcliffe. This is another huge uncontrollable fire...good sentiments Rio, I know personally that they try their damnedest to save property and livestock..they have no chance of "putting out" the fire. I will be happy when I see our boys walk up the driveway after its all over. Bloody fires...with the bridge collapsed on the South West Highway and Forrest Highway shut, a trip to Perth for the Freo Cup via Collie, Darkan and Boddington is out of the question...both logistically and it just wouldn't feel right.

jum

JAY JAY Collie through to Williams to Perth is about 45 mins quicker than the recommended route.

no one can work out why they have suggested the route that they have. Maybe the roads are a little bit better that way.But Williams is definitely quicker.

LuckyLongshots

Southbound Festival at Busselton officially cancelled due to alternatives routes to festival being compromised.

JayJay

Jun, Manji to Bridgetown to Boyup Brook to Arthur River on dodgy roads and then to Perth...too far for this old fella...and prefer to stay home until the boys are back from the fire. Messages I'm getting are pretty graphic, impossible to fight such a beast.

jum

Fair Call JJ.The BOYS are absolute champions. I don't envy anybody fighting this one.

rooster321

Busselton trots cancelled too

LuckyLongshots

Saying only around 20 houses still standing in Yarloop, very grim atm. Hopefully some rain today can help.

RIO

I used to live in a country town with only 350 residents. And it is amazing how a small community still has a full and vibrant heart beat. They still have football teams, hockey teams, cricket teams, netball tams, school sports, etc,etc.

So when you hear an update on the radio or TV and it says the small community of Yarloop of only 500 residents has been wiped out........Those people have lost everything that people who live in the country value...the buildings can be rebuilt but so many will lose contact with the community.

Truly devastating for all involved. So many who own the homes that were saved will feel like burning these to the ground, to relieve them of the guilt of survival and the desolation they will endure as those who lived around them either re-build, or move away forever!!!

 

=((

Bucks

Once this is all done and dusted I think the Pinjarra Race Club should host a fundraiser when the Magic Millions comes to town. There will be plenty of people at the track for that race meeting and it would be fitting for the club to get behind the locals who've lost so much. I'm sure all those in attendance would support it. Maybe someone could have a word to Gerry Harvey and get him to donate $100 of every lot sold at the sales to go towards helping the victims.

paraletic

Bucks said:

Once this is all done and dusted I think the Pinjarra Race Club should host a fundraiser when the Magic Millions comes to town. There will be plenty of people at the track for that race meeting and it would be fitting for the club to get behind the locals who've lost so much. I'm sure all those in attendance would support it. Maybe someone could have a word to Gerry Harvey and get him to donate $100 of every lot sold at the sales to go towards helping the victims.

I like that idea

jum

Bucks said:

Once this is all done and dusted I think the Pinjarra Race Club should host a fundraiser when the Magic Millions comes to town. There will be plenty of people at the track for that race meeting and it would be fitting for the club to get behind the locals who've lost so much. I'm sure all those in attendance would support it. Maybe someone could have a word to Gerry Harvey and get him to donate $100 of every lot sold at the sales to go towards helping the victims.

That is a wonderful idea @Bucks

RIO

have sent a board member of Pinnie Race club a message.. Lets see if we can push this to happen

Bucks

have sent a board member of Pinnie Race club a message.. Lets see if we can push this to happen

I've just sent an email to the Magic Millions via their main email however i doubt it will get seen but hey you have to try. If someone knows Trevor Andrews maybe we can see if he and the connections would be interested in auctioning off a 5% share in lucky street for the day as he'll be the favorite in the 3yo MM event. Similar to what they did with Fiorente 

http://ownerforaday.com/honour-roll

JustanL

Words will not express how many of us feel. A big thank you to all those entrusted to fight this fire, you are hero's in the eyes of so many of us. PR, RAWWA, WATAB, how about 1 or 2% of turnover this weekend goes to support those LOCALS that have lost everything?.

SLIPPERGOLDEN

You have to admire those Firemen, Volunteers and indeed anyone involved in contributing to assisting those impacted by this catastrophe.

The fact some of are hot and bothered with the heat is insignificant in comparison.

JustanL

Have donated 10 boxes of baby clothes size 00000-0 plus toys. God bless those that have lost everything

Tivers

I donated some water, apparently.

Got sent a bill for it anyway :)>-

Wizard

How is Harvey?

Tivers

Fire at Karnup now.
Lightning strike.

jum

Tivers said:

Fire at Karnup now.
Lightning strike.

FAARK

Legless

One just started at the back of my place.  :-SS
Firies hit it quick and hard from the Air and Ground - hopefully done and dusted ^:)^ ^:)^

Tivers

Hopefully that's the one near our place then !!!

silky

Wizard said:

How is Harvey?

Harvey townsite is ok for now. The trotting track has been lost though. Does anyone have any news on Bellbridge Park, Justin Warwick or Dawson Stud? The fire front must have been very close to those guys

Tivers

Bit north of them I think ?

loose_goose

Just noticed Justin, has scratched from Albany tomorrow, far more important things on his plate I'm thinking. Bloody terrible these fires, and could happen anywhere in the Southern area of WA, so much bushland. Sympathy for all those caught up in this horrific time.

Bucks

Pretty sure dawson stud is just north of myalup next to a few other studs

everready

Jtw had to move horses I believe our thoughts are with everyone involved

Wizard

ever ready said:

Jtw had to move horses I believe our thoughts are with everyone involved

Very much so.

JayJay

Perhaps not the time and place but have family in the middle of this mess fighting the fire...or trying to. Had a call this evening ...reassuring to hear from him...safe..a bit singed but safe. Told me that Yarloop is just a bomb site, nothing left except brick chimneys and buckled tin. Got me thinking...most of the houses are owned by Alcoa for the refinery workers...very modest dwellings but for the good working folk, it was home. I wonder, when the ash has settled, whether Alcoa will display good corporate citizenship and rebuild or do something to house these people? Alcoa would have done very nicely out of WA over the years, utilising our states resources (and providing lots of employment and paying a lot of royalties) but lets hope these people aren't left stranded. Also, the silence from Canberra/Turnball has been deafening....this is a huge disaster...and it could get worse over the next few days. And lets hope the philanthropy of extraordinarily wealthy entrepreneurs emerges. Some like Stan Perron do a lot and avoid publicity...others love to be seen in front of cameras at Telethon making big fellas of themselves ...so far. its been ordinary citizens and small business that are feeding, watering and clothing the displaced folk at the evacuation centres...Mums and Dads dropping off food, water, clothing, local service clubs (Lion, Apex, Rotary etc) as always to the fore. So come on Stan , Twiggy, Gina, Dick, Gerry and co, don't leave it to general citizenry and the volunteers. The 3k in emergency funds per family, when they eventually get it, won't go far. I am sure they will come to the party.

bookielover

Have just seen the news reports on Sky News.

The numb skull reporter finished her report by saying, "looking at the devastation, Yarloop MAY (not will) take some time to rebuild". Ya think!

The devastation at Yarloop is reminiscent of Kinglake here in Victoria on Black Saturday a few years ago.

Kinglake has been rebuilt as I hope Yarloop will be. However the lives lost at Kinglake and there were many, can never be replaced and as I write this, 3 people in Yarloop are unaccounted for. Let us hope and pray that they are found safe and well.

Driving back from Bunbury races I have probably passed the towns that are either under threat or have been victims of the fires. Harvey and Pinjarra of course stand out, but I'm sure I have passed by the others.

This makes the tragedy hit home even from a distance of 4,000 kilometres.

The State and Federal Governments really need to extract the digit and look after the people of Yarloop in particular and anyone else who has been affected by this fire. The $3,000 grant is but a drop in the ocean. 

Governments thinking on emergency grants has never come out of the middle ages.Each resident should be given a grant of at least $10,000 in order to give the residents every opportunity to get back on their feet.

As for Gerry Harvey donating $100 out of each sale.Come on people. The bloke is a Billionaire who is sucking Queensland racing dry, and got a five million dollar grant each year for the next 7 years from the previous Liberal Government in Queensland, plus, plus, plus,so that Magic Millions day could be conducted at the Gold Coast.

He should donate at the very least, $1,000 from the sale of each horse.

The idea of a fund raising race day at Pinjarra has merit, but Ascot should also have one.

Both clubs, however, must make sure that every dollar raised must go to the people of Yarloop and the disaster relief fund which should be set up. 

Additional money could be raised by reducing prize money for each meeting by 20% with that money going to the fund. I am sure that good hearted owners trainers and jockeys won't mind.

The clubs should also make an arrangement with the TAB that the percentage of turnover that the clubs would normally receive go to the fund and the 1% that bookies pay also go to the fund.

These fund raising ideas always start out with good intentions, however in order to raise real money, organisers must bite the bullet and think outside the square and go for the big lick of the ice cream rather than do things in a piece meal manner.

Two more things.

If as Jayjay says, Alcoa have reaped the benefit of the work done by the towns folk, they should offer to rebuild each house that is uninsured for zero.

If Alcoa won't step in, then the Federal and State Governments should offer to rebuild each home complete with furnishings. 

Looking at what's left of the houses, and concluding that they weren't mansions to begin with, it wouldn't cost all that much.

Let's hope that words transfer to real action, and that the people of Yarloop and others who have had their lives decimated by these fires, can return to normality as soon as possible.