When we first got word that our mates at Gotcha Park and other good people in and around Taree were under water and struggling, there was no question that our BackTrack disaster crews needed to step up and turn up. With more than a decade of disaster recovery work under our belt, and trained crews ready to go, we know how time sensitive these kinds of efforts are – a mended fence or a cleared road now can make an incredible difference. Sometimes you can only get to the people who need it most when you’re hooked into the local community. Moreover, there are an awful lot of people out there who are struggling but not asking for help. And then there’s broader impact of knowing someone’s got your back. As BackTrack Founder Bernie puts it; “Governments will come to the party and are of course essential, but we know from our work like this in the past, that crews like ours will have made the bed before they’ve even got out of it.” That’s why philanthropic support for work like this is so important to make sure BackTrack can be at the ready with gear and trained crews, to show up and restore hope and some practicality where it’s needed most.  

For our BackTrack crews, helping the community around Taree is personal. We knew we had a special connection when Steve Atkins and the crew at Gotcha Park on Dumaresq Island sold us our first ever Speckle Park cattle. Check out this video which explains the connection and the transit of cattle from Taree to Armidale just a month or two ago. These monochromatic beauties have already contributed to the lives of our young people and what we’re building at BackTrack’s farm with a long lens to future. Only weeks within us transporting the cattle from Gotcha, we got word that they were in serious trouble.

Our first impulse was to help our mate get his cattle out of the water and onto higher ground. We’ve brought some of them out to Cubba Cubbah until things settle. Our young people then set their sights on the broader community in Taree.  

A quick call out to our networks on LinkedIn helped us secure funds to get things moving.  We’re so grateful to those generous supports who kicked off this work – thank you.  We were able to send a crew of five young people immediately.  Camp Gotcha was set up in a cattle shed and the team was ready to help. 

When BackTrack comes in for disaster recovery, we make sure we’re self-sufficient and filling the gaps. The team camp in swags, bring their own catering and all the gear.

No two jobs are the same for our disaster relief crews. The common story is turning up and doing whatever it takes.

Our young people have already come across several properties where no one else has knocked on their door to lend a hand, so we know we’re reaching those who need us. 

BackTrack disaster relief crews hit the ground running. They’ve been clearing pathways so trades can get in for repairs, pulling debris out of fences and getting stuck in wherever needed. One grateful recipient has already sent us a heartfelt email stating that “these boys are living proof of the value of BackTrack.”  

In one case, our crews have created an access way to save 130+ cattle. When BackTrack arrived, the owner was in a second residence with his first covered in 1.5 metres of water and had been offered no help at all. Our crews made an access way to the back paddocks (the first dry out on his property) and the cattle were able to make it onto higher ground. 

For our young people the long days continue with more support crew due to be deployed next week. Rising to get the job done from 7:30 and not packing it in until 4:30, the crews have completed countless jobs including removing mud and silt in sheds, around houses and across accessways and driveways so residents can gain access, pressure cleaning in sheds once mud has been removed, removing debris from gateways including branches and then some.  The next step will be bringing in some of our older young people for fencing and the operation of machinery. In times of disaster, our crews adapt to the situation in real time and plan on the fly as is needed. 

BackTrack has been around helping in times of need when disasters strike since 2011 when we deployed our first-ever flood relief crews in Mingoola. We’ve developed a proven model for disaster relief and preparedness, engaging our at-risk youth in skilled, purposeful work. It’s dirty work, and often it ain’t pretty. But helping like this and giving back – it makes everyone stand taller. It’s all part of the valued generosity piece in our Circle of Courage approach to youthwork – it’s the BackTrack way.