At the centre of the bushfire relief efforts in Cobargo are a couple of young volunteers, two of the many supporting around 400 people at the town's showground.
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Tony Harrington and Sophia Puccetti were unexpectedly thrust into their roles after community members coordinating the town's relief efforts decided they needed a social media presence.
The two set up the Cobargo Bushfire Relief Centre Facebook page, received 3000 likes in three days, and have since been providing up-to-date information to the community from inside the centre as well as connecting people from all over Australia and beyond to Cobargo.
"We've had people reaching out from all over the world to offer support," Ms Puccetti, 19, said last week.
"There's just been so many offers. The other day we had a woman offer to drive down from Narooma and offer to collect people's laundry, take it home to wash and bring it back.
"With the power of social media everyone has seen what they can do to help.
"I've been waking up in the morning and seeing we have 70 Facebook messages to reply to."
Mr Harrington, 24, said another example of the various forms of generosity offered to the community was how a Winnebago was on its way from the Sunshine Coast to assist with accommodation.
But they were not only trying to help those in the relief centre, as they said they knew of about 30 homes in Wandella and Yowrie where people have been isolated since the fires, with some unable to drive into Cobargo because petrol had not been available in the town and they would not have been able to fill up their tanks to get home.
They also reached out to evacuation centres in regions such as Eden, Nelligen and Batemans Bay with offers to help set up their own social media presence to assist coordinating donations and providing information.
Mr Harrington understands the terrifying power of the Badja Forest Road bushfire personally, as he stayed home to fight as it approaching his family's property at Wandella.
Fortunately his home was saved with minimal losses, but he still has not fully processed the experience.
"It was horrifying out there, I wouldn't want anyone to go through that," he said.
"The fire was making its own weather, it was ripping trees out of the ground and snapping them, cyclone things were running up the mountain; nothing could stop it. The fact I'm alive is some kind of miracle.
"I haven't processed what happened at Wandella yet. I have had a few weak moments."
READ MORE: Bushfire recovery centre opens in Bega
Mr Harrington and Ms Puccetti said there were many people to thank for their efforts to support the community since the fires, and by how bustling and busy the relief centre was last Wednesday it was clear many had come to provide what help they could.
"I've never seen the community like this in my life and I've lived here for 19 years," Ms Puccetti said.
"This is really volunteer work; no-one is getting paid, we've been doing eight to nine hour days and even if we were getting paid we'd give the money straight back to the relief centre here."
Thanks to the generosity of many individuals and groups there is an abundance of food, clothes and supplies at the relief centre now, with Ms Puccetti saying the main thing the region needed to get back on its feet was for the tourist season to start again.
"We've just missed out on the two busiest weeks of the year, we need to repeat New Year's - just without the fires," she said.
Ms Puccetti and Mr Harrington invited anyone in need of support as a result of the recent fires on the South Coast to visit the Cobargo Showground, whether they were from the local region or from further away.
"We are not an evacuation centre, we are a relief centre," Mr Harrington said.
"If you're from Eden or anywhere and need somewhere to stay; come. We're here to help you."
Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
