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Mogo, a small heritage town population 322, located on the South East coast of Australia, in New South Wales, a 4-hour drive through valleys and forests. The town was known locally as the heart of the gold rush in 1850's, rich in history and character, a hidden gem off the well-trodden tourist path. Life in Mogo was peaceful, uneventful almost, tourists visited in the summer months, enjoying days at the Mogo zoo, sampling the finest coffee in town at Grumpy & Sweethearts, or choosing the perfect gift for a love one from one of the local stores. On New Year’s Eve 31/12/19, life in Mogo started peacefully, friends and families getting ready to welcome in 2020, unaware that nature had other plans. Early in the afternoon the wind changed direction sending flames in Mogo’s direction, placing the town directly in the pathway of a devastating bushfire, the sky turned black, with little chance to escape, many evacuated to the beach the only place they could reach, as fire blocked the roads out of town, somewhere stranded their homes they watched as flames surrounded them. Heart breaking images and stories of people losing their homes, thousands of hectors of forests brunt, kangaroo’s trying to hop out of harm’s way dominated the world’s media channels at the start of the new year. We felt we needed to do something, anything to help, aid agencies we are calling for donations, the state was unprepared for the vastness of devastation, many residents how had lost their homes we now left without power, basic supplies and running water for weeks. It was a challenge finding out how we could support local communities, but thanks to the power of the internet we found a post from a friend of a friend in a group called the Greater Mogo Bush Fire Relief, Bec and Jess two locals ladies had started checking on their neighbours after the fire had passed had put together a relief effort and were seeking volunteers help the local residents make a start on what will be a long road ahead to rebuild what was lost. Having arrived late at night it wasn’t until the next morning that we saw the extent of the fire’s wrath. Assigned to support at the Gold Rush Colney met my Cory, a man in his late 40’s who had been a firefighter for close to two decades, currently a volunteer with the regional fire brigade and tour guide at Mogo’s Gold Rush Colney, greeting us with a half-smile he said “Forgive me if I seem emotionless as show you around, I have been crying for the better half of last 2 weeks and I have nothing left”. Cory, loving his job of tour guide showed us around, we followed in silence looking around at the historical huts reduced to ruins, once lush trees now blacked, we started to comprehend the ruthlessness of the fire. As we walked around Cory told “I was on patrol that afternoon, we got told to remain on the main street, all I could do was look out towards here as flames shot from one tree to the next, I was sure that Old Gold Rush was gone”. We turned a corner and he said if were religious, not waiting for an answer he went on to explain that Buddhism was the most powerful region, there in front of us was the only building left standing a Buddhist temple that had been blessed the summer prior by visiting monks. “I never really was a religious man, but now I am.” With a renewed sense of faith, we began clearing the gardens at the entrance of the removing dead branches, trimming palm trees, rehoming the gold panning troths, so that ‘Old Gold Rush could partly reopen to the public and school groups. We worked the best part of the day and on into the early evening stopping to have chinwags with Corry, up until he said, “right that will do for today, I’m off for a surf”. We said our goodbyes and made promises to return, then watched Cory drive towards the ocean.