Australia Bushfire Relief
Australia is the home of the largest living thing on earth, the Great Barrier Reef, and of the largest monolith, Ayers Rock (or Uluru to use its now-official, more respectful Aboriginal name). It has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. Of the world's ten most poisonous snakes, all are Australian. Five of its creatures - the funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish - are the most lethal of their type in the world. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes go for you.... If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. It's a tough place. ― Bill Bryson, In a Sunburned Country
There is a hopelessness to watching the rain fall onto your windowsill on a cold day while scrolling through news coverage of Australia up in flames. The scale of the crisis is hard to comprehend. The wildfires have so far burned more than 12 million acres, they have killed at least 24 people, and nearly 2000 homes have been destroyed. And more is to come. Fire season in Australia normally peaks in January and February, and runs until March, when rain and cooler temperatures arrive.
What they need now is help — and hope.
And that is what we are seeing.
The world is not made up of individuals but rather is one throbbing heartbeat. Complete strangers offering shelter, food, and any other resources they can. Online fundraisers started on social media to raise money to help provide shelter and meals to those affected. Farms and kennels taking in animals.
We are seeing it in the military reservists who canceled their holidays to evacuate residents onto naval warships to escape the fires.
We are seeing it in stories of courage and heroism from the largely volunteer rural firefighters.
We are seeing it in the volunteers from New Zealand who have been on the ground for weeks fighting the fires.
And we are seeing it in the veteran Californian and Canadian firefighters jetting to Australia to do what they can to help.
If you are looking for genuine routes to get funds to those directly impacted please visit