An update on WER’s Fire Volunteer Noticeboard volunteer registrations

Thank you to the hundreds of volunteers that made themselves known to the community through the Notice Board, for your generosity and trust.

If you're looking to donate, offer goods or volunteer, official and community-led organisations from affected areas are now accepting support and we encourage you to connect with them directly.

The West End Resilience Notice Board is now closed to new offers.

The West End Resilience (WER) Fire Volunteer Noticeboard was intentionally set up as an early and temporary measure to start collecting offers of support. It was scheduled to end once more formal and Harcourt based support services were in place. These services are now established, led by Harcourt Progress Association and Castlemaine Community House, in collaboration with a range of other local groups.

Those who have registered on the notice board will soon be provided the option to transition to a register maintained by CCH or other specialised support service, or have their information deleted.

The current list of offers is scheduled to remain live on the WER website until 30 January 2026.

West End Resilience Volunteer Noticeboard: Intention statement

This system has been set up to harness community spirit, care and trust. It is an unofficial, temporary 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.