A NEWLY kitted-out workshop trailer from Rosebud Men’s Shed is set to join BlazeAid’s fleet, helping the volunteer organisation rebuild fences and restore farms after natural disasters.
The trailer was officially handed over to BlazeAid’s CEO, Melissa Jones, at the Rosebud Men’s Shed on 28 August.
It is one of three trailers donated by Bosch and has been fitted out by members of Rosebud Men’s Shed to provide a portable workshop for BlazeAid volunteers.
The trailer will allow volunteers to sharpen tools and undertake repairs and other workshop jobs while deployed at BlazeAid camps around Australia.
BlazeAid began after the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, after Kevin and Rhonda Butler lost fencing on their property in Kilmore East to the fires.
They placed an advertisement in the local paper, asking for assistance rebuilding, and 25 people showed up to help.
“The fences were done in a week, and so it was really about paying it forward,” said Jones.
“It was my mum who said, ‘We’ve got to go and help the neighbours’, and so BlazeAid started, and here we are 17 years later.”
Now, BlazeAid have established 249 base camps across Australia and volunteers have helped rebuild over 45,000 kilometres of fencing by hand.
“That’s Melbourne to Rome and back, plus more, all built by volunteer hands,” said Jones.
The organisation now has 256 “combat-ready” trailers filled with tools needed for fence repairs, as well as 46 vehicles to help transport volunteers.
BlazeAid also responds to floods, storms, and droughts, with the aim of getting farmers back in action as soon as possible following a natural disaster.
Jones said the assistance can be life-changing for farmers who have lost kilometres of fencing and are unable to continue working.
“Some of them have lost 100 kilometres of fencing,” said Jones.
“How would you survive? How would you get your family across?”
Jones said BlazeAid’s work is made possible by the help of groups such as Rosebud Men’s Shed and businesses that donate resources.
“You have people like the Men’s Shed that will put up their hand and volunteer their time,” said Jones.
“The trailers are donated from Bosch; the tools have been donated from Bosch, and this is what it’s all about, you know, mates helping mates to make sure that people can get back on their feet after horrible disasters.”
Rob Abbott, president of Rosebud Men’s Shed, said the shed provides a place for men to work on various projects and socialise.
“They don’t have to do anything they don’t want to,” said Abbott.
“It’s just the company of other guys and opinions and talking.”
The shed regularly puts the members’ physical skills to use, helping BlazeAid maintain trailers and now fitting out the workshop trailer.
“We don’t claim to be experts or professional, but we can do what they need,” said Abbott.
“And these guys at BlazeAid, when bushfire season comes around, they’ve got to be ready.”
Abbott, along with two other members, Graeme Tulloch and Trevor Perkins, spent three weeks designing and building the trailer to fit the necessary equipment.
BlazeAid board member Andrew Gibson said BlazeAid will regularly turn to Men’s Sheds for assistance.
“People are incredibly generous with their time and their resources, and we take advantage of it as much as we can,” said Gibson.
He said BlazeAid not only has a physical impact on farmers impacted by natural disasters, but also a mental one.
“It’s amazing what it does for [the farmers] when they realise that the community cares about them,” said Gibson.
“They might be burnt out, and they’ve lost their livestock, which is soul-destroying for farmers. And then a whole bunch of people turn up and say, ‘Well, we’re here to help. Where do you want us to start building fences?’.”
You can find out more about BlazeAid and the support they offer at: blazeaid.com.au.
First published in the Mornington News – 1 September 2026
