Get the latest news to your email inbox FREE!

REGISTER

Get the latest news to your email inbox FREE!

REGISTER
HomeGazetteLong drive to help

Long drive to help

Garfield's Stephanie ForteGarfield’s Stephanie Forte

A 20-HOUR drive is a long time to be on the road, and it’s even worse when making the trek alone.
But the long drive didn’t stop Garfield’s Stephanie Forte, 20, making her way to help with Queensland flood relief efforts.
She left for Stanthorpe on Friday morning and will help farmers mend their fences alongside other Blazeaid volunteers.
Blazeaid was formed after the Black Saturday bushfires to help farmers rebuild fences lost in the fires.
Sponsored by BIG4 Holiday Parks, Ms Forte had places to stay along her journey to the Sunshine State.
After her work is done in Queensland, she has been asked to venture home to Victoria and help out at Bridgewater.
Bridgewater farmers are crying out in desperation after losing fencing and their sheep and cattle are dying with flystrike.
Ms Forte will use her calf-rearing and other farming skills to help them out.
>>>See more stories on the flood, Pages 8 and 9.

Previous article
Next article
Digital Edition
Subscribe

Get an all ACCESS PASS to the News and your Digital Edition with an online subscription

Hunt for Casey’s most wanted

Crime Stoppers Victoria has announced a blitz on Casey’s eight most wanted people. Collectively, they are wanted on 60 arrest warrants for offences including...
More News

Pakenham History: Opening a grand affair

This is how the Gazette covered the opening of the temporary Pakenham Bush Nursing Hospital on 29 May 1926 - and an update a...

Pakenham History: Mary travelled far and wide to provide medical care

As pioneering families carved out a living in the Pakenham district, times were tough and help was a considerable journey away. Early settlers had few...

OPINION: The back-to-school survival guide for working mums

So, you survived Christmas and are limping to the finishing line as school holidays come to a close. You are expected to be ‘refreshed’...

OPINION: How should Victorians celebrate Australia Day this year?

It is 2026, and Australia remains the only Commonwealth country without a national treaty with its Indigenous peoples. Other settler nations, such as Canada, New...

Bunjil Place set to hosts vibrant Open Space festival this summer

Open Space will be taking over Bunjil Place this summer, with a packed lineup and events to keep you busy during the summer holidays....

What’s On

The Lang Lang Show 'n' Shine The Lang Lang Show 'n' Shine plus Swap Meet is back this February. Run by the Rotary Club of Kooweerup/Lang...

Calder blasts Clyde into big dance

A knock for the ages has lifted Clyde into the grand final of the Casey Cardinia Cricket Association (CCCA) Kookaburra Cup Premier Division. The Cougars...

Fire station needs community support

Brandi Richardson has called Bayles home for 23 years. When she saw a concerning social media post from her local bridge, she knew she...

Soft-plastics recycling boost in South East

More than 16,000 tonnes of soft and hard-to-recycle plastics will be recycled each year at four sites including Pakenham and Dandenong. The State and Federal...

Anger as restrictions block aid to fire-hit communities

Fire-affected communities and volunteers say government restrictions are preventing them from reaching properties, delivering essential supplies and helping neighbours. Police checkpoints and road closures are...