It began almost immediately after news got out.
Farmers were on the phone to his fishing and outdoors shop, Trelly’s in Shepparton, asking for ammunition so they could destroy injured stock.
“It was terrible. Blokes, 70 or 80, almost in tears, telling you what they had to do.”
Steve gave away what he could give, and then set to work marshalling donations from ammunition manufacturers, and he issued a plea to hunters and farmers for unwanted ammunition they could donate. They responded by bringing in boxes they had squirrelled away or rounds they figured they could do without. About 400,000 rounds.
Then his customers and other locals who didn't’t have gun licences told him they wanted to give money to pass on to the residents who had lost homes and properties.
A few hundred dollars became thousands.
The figure has now reached $70,000, with most of it already distributed to buy fodder, equipment, fuel, food, water, first aid kits and dozens of different items, like garden hoses.
Steve was amazed by the generosity of people.
“We’ve had donations from just about every state of Australia. People want to help.”
“Some people tell you, ‘I’ve only got $20 or $30, that’s all I can afford’. So I’m very conscious that the money has to get through. I haven’t passed it on to any organisations that take a percentage out for administration. I feel responsible for every cent.”
Steve has made frequent trips up to Ruffy, ground zero for the fires. So regularly in fact that he is waved through at the road blocks.
Ruffy community volunteer Colleen Furlanetto said ‘Trelly’ had been a massive support.
“He’s a fella who sees a need, asks ‘what do you need?’ and comes up with it,” Ms Furlanetto said.
“The Shepparton community, the Shepp council, what they’ve done with the relief effort is to be commended and the support they’ve given to the littler shires because of their size and their experience with the floods.
“The amount of donations that have come in from the Shepparton community has been amazing, really amazing.”
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