Make an offer of support for our fire impacted neighbours
Harcourt, Castlemaine & surrounds
It can take time for formal support systems to kick-in. Until Sunday 18 January (and longer if needed), this page will exist as an informal, community-based way to connect people who need support with those who can offer it.
How to help
Browse the categories below for ideas on how you can help. Fill out the form to share your offer.
Temporary accommodation and work space:
Emergency, short-term or temporary places to stay or work, caravans, guest rooms, crisis accommodation.
Food, meals and shopping
Cooked meals, baking, food delivery, dietary-specific support.
Health, wellbeing and emotional support
Counselling, therapy, bodywork, holistic medicine, pastoral care, peer support.
Children, family support
Childcare, routines, parenting help, caring for dependents during disruption.
Hygiene, appliances, laundry and bathroom access
Showers, baths, washing machines, clean linen, laundry services, drinking water, basic dignity needs.
Pet help
Pet sitting, care (feeding, walking).
Agriculture
Livestock care and accommodation, horticultural support.
Transport, trailers and moving
Lifts, shopping runs, deliveries, utes, trailers, towing, tip runs, moving items.
Manual labour and clean-up
Cleaning, debris removal, gardening, fencing.
Skilled labour and repair
Qualified and experienced people, property repairs.
Administration
Help with form-filling, phone calls, emails, and process navigation.
Generators, tools and equipment
Batteries, borrowing tools, and practical items.
Professional / specialised support
Professionals, legal/admin specialists offering skilled help.
Other
If your offer doesn’t fit neatly elsewhere, choose this option.
Make your offer
Click here to offer free services and support for our fire impacted community via the West End Resilience immediate relief noticeboard.
Your offer will be published on this page, including your contact details, so those seeking support can contact you directly.
Once you submit your offer, you’ll receive an email so you can update your offer at any time.
Think about what you can offer with a generous spirit and a practical mind. Please only offer what you know you can deliver, expecting nothing in return.
NOTE: There are now many other local service organisations seeking community volunteers, donations, and supporting volunteer coordination. This includes local op shops that need extra hands to sort clothing and goods for those directly or indirectly impacted by the fires.
Intention statement
This system has been set up to harness community spirit, care and trust. It is an unofficial peer-to-peer community system.
We ask that everyone offering support and services do so with the following intentions:
Kindness, respect and compassion
A commitment to deliver what you offer
Respond to requests as quickly as possible
A generous spirit, expecting nothing in return
Keep everyone safe. Please be safety conscious and follow the instructions of emergency services. When the emergency services allow entering fire impacted spaces, please remain diligent about risk. Consider working/offering support in pairs. If loaning items consider if it's safe for you and the borrower
Listening to our fire impacted community to make sure we’re genuinely responding to their needs (not assuming we know what they need)
Practice self care. Ask for support if you need it. Consider dropping into Castlemaine Safe Space
A trauma aware response. Affected people in our community are likely to be experiencing stress, anxiety or trauma. Go gentle, follow their lead and be mindful of asking questions about the fire that might be difficult
Privacy and information considerations
The information you include on your offer form will be made public on this page. We will be promoting this page through public channels, including Harcourt based social media pages. Please provide personal information in a considered manner.
The information you submit will be stored in a Googlesheet for the duration of this project, after which we’ll delete the sheet.
This project is intended to provide immediate and short-term support. Should a more centralised official or community-led service be established, WER will link you into the opportunity to continue to offer support via the new channel.