The generosity of the Limestone Coast has again shone through after a special delivery to farmers in need.


Late last week Mount McIntyre truck driver Kyle Nicholas organised a hay drive for farmers impacted by the Grampians bushfire.


The bushfire in the Grampians National Park, which was started by a lightning strike on December 16, continues to burn, having already blackened more than 76,000 hectares of park and farmland.


The 28-year-old was spurred into action while at home on annual leave, wondering how he could help those impacted.


After speaking with his employer Peter Edmonds of Naracoorte’s Edmonds Transport, he decided to collect donations of hay bales and deliver them with a donated prime mover and semi-trailer.


Speaking to The SE Voice, Mr Nicholas said he felt compelled to help in coordination with the Need for Feed program after his wife’s family had received their assistance several years ago.


“I think the biggest thing behind me wanting to help out is we went through a similar situation back in 2019 with my wife’s family in the Adelaide Hills,” he said.


“The Cudlee Creek fires came through and pretty much did the same to their family farm, they wiped out fencing and all the pasture.


“We did not lose livestock or sheds, but there was a lot of damage.


“So I guess it was a bit of a pay it forward thing, they helped us back then.”


Mr Nicholas said it was that help from Need for Feed that was foremost on his mind and planted the seed to help.


“I was driving home from holidays on New Year’s Day and knew I did not have to work for a few days and I was thinking about what I was going to do,” he said.


“I brainstormed an idea thinking that we had a flat top trailer and I asked the boss if I could use it as I knew my truck would not be moving for a few days.


“My father is a dairy farmer and I asked a few other farmers if they would be keen to donate some hay, all the farmers I spoke to were happy and the load was comprised of six different farmers.


“Everyone I spoke to was happy to put some on …. and then I got a farmer from out of Tarpeena who was the biggest donor of 18 bales so I had to borrow another trailer to put on the front to push to a B-double, with 52 bales instead of 34.”


Mr Nicholas delivered his load to Mirranatwa, on the western side of the fire, where a local had set up a delivery point for distribution.


“There were three or four farmers they were talking to – they took for me a drive around the property and they had lost their good pasture, their summer crops were in but that was the only safe place they could put sheep so they ended up losing fodder crops,” he said.


“Fencing is probably one of the biggest things, as well as pasture.


“Their property backs onto the Grampians National Park and they had just put up eight foot high kangaroo proof fences which are now gone.”


Mr Nicholas said the donations from Dianna Clayfield (Coonawarra), Hutchesson Bros (Coonawarra) who also lent the front trailer, Nick Widdison and family (Kalangadoo), David Smith (Tarpeena), Boldview Farms (Mount McIntyre) and Green Acres Farming (Mount McIntyre) showed the generosity of locals.


“I live on a farm, my old man being a dairy farmer, and back in the wintertime you would not have even thought in the summertime you would be asking the locals who are doing it tough to donate out of their own pocket,” he said.


“The farmers, the truck drivers, the rural community are always happy to help out to those who are worse off than they are.


“The farmers themselves who were there … they came up the driveway for photos with big smiles on their faces, they were very happy to see some support, especially out of the South East of SA.”


Mr Nicholas said there was a lot of gratitude from the Victorians.


“It’s more of a happy to help out thing, I do not aim to gain anything personally, you just want to pay it forward to people who are happy to help you,” he said.


“Obviously it can be a bit emotional and spark memories from your own experience.


“Knowing what we went through in 2019 sitting at the Christmas lunch table and watching the fire coming out straight towards properties, but this time in the Grampians they were too busy watching the fires come out of the hills straight towards their farms.


“The mountains themselves were completely burnt down, it had come out onto the farmland, it went off in little fingers the fire itself, they stopped it in some very interesting situations.


“But pretty much when you were looking at the mountains they were just black.”