‘Freecycling’ Helping Bushfire Survivors – Can YOU Contribute?

I have just returned from Beechworth – where Saturday night son Luc and I were ‘fire-ready’ while new mum Jules and new grand daughter Anouk were thankfully safe in Wodonga Maternity Hospital.

With the Beechworth danger seemingly passed I went on to Yambuna to visit my youngest, Daniel, and his family BUT son Ben heard there were fires at Panton Hill – 15 minutes from here – and raced out from the city to rescue some ‘precious things’ for me from Kangaroo Ground.

I have been one of the very lucky ones – how can you describe the past few days?

Returning this morning – forgoing my usual route through Whittlesea which is now a bushfire emergency centre – I find a very generous offer from Tracey MacKay who runs aussiefreerecycle groups which runs on the philosophy of ‘gifting’ household goods to each other – free – on the premise of keeping goods out of landfill.

This is done via a yahoo group website where free ads are posted for free of ‘offers’ or ‘wanteds’ for household goods etc..anything from unused foods to old guitars. All gifting of goods is free – there is no buying or selling.

Tracey says:

“At this time with the devastation of the Victorian Bush fires in the last 24 hours, we are devoting ‘all’ of our donations (over 2000 members) of goods directly to victims of these fires rather than between ourselves through the groups across Melbourne.

My garage and some other members sheds and garages will now become temporarily ‘drop off and storage points’ to house our donations to bush fire victims.

I’ve just gotten of the phone from my brother who is a captain in the Wattle Glen CFA and has just gone back to the fires at King Lake and St Andrews where he has been working for the past few days..they’re completely devastated and my sister in law, his wife and I will co ordinate to also collect items and donations from their house in Wattle Glen also.

Any household items/furniture/office goods/electrical items or personal goods you wish to contribute you can do so by ‘freely’ giving them away to the freerecycling community and the bushfire survivors.

There is one main rule that everything offered or wanted here MUST be FREE.

Help us to keep this stuff out of our landfill through the act of gift giving, you never know what you will be given or who’s face you will add a smile too.”

Anyone who needs assistance or goods can contact Tracey

traceyangel@internode.on.net
97273334 (9am to 9pm)
0433695196 ( 9 am to 9pm)

Thank you Tracey