People who have lost everything in the catastrophic Australian bushfires will be among those to benefit from a grant of AUS$150,000 (£79,000) from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons.
The money has been sent to the Disaster Relief Funds set up by Freemasons in Australia and will benefit those in the 3 states most affected: New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
The unprecedented fires have seen 27 deaths, including a number of firefighters, with 2,136 homes destroyed in New South Wales alone – more than 1,200 of which have burned down since New Year’s Eve.
Thousands of Australians are living in more than a dozen large evacuation centres, having been forced to flee the blaze.
Meanwhile, hundreds of homes and businesses have been lost in Victoria and South Australia. Many Australians have lost everything and the impact on the livelihoods of ordinary people is vast. The economy will take many years to fully recover.
An estimated 18 million acres of land have been burned – an area almost as large as Ireland. There has been an enormous impact on the environment, with up to a billion animals killed.
The death toll among koala bears alone has led to calls for the animals to be placed on the endangered species list.
Freemasons from Hampshire and Isle of Wight have contributed to the grant that comes through the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF), which is funded by Freemasons, their families and friends, from across England and Wales.
Mike Wilks, Provincial Grand Master for the Freemasons in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said:
“These terrible fires are an ongoing disaster for thousands of Australians.
“I’m very pleased that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Freemasons are working together with Freemasons in Australia to raise funds to help the victims of the blazes, many of whom have lost everything.”
Will that be in paper notes or coins?
One catches light easier than the other you see….
meanwhile the homeless, starving and those freezing on the streets of the island go without – perhaps the freemasons could have given this money to the Islands homeless charities, that could have helped people here first.
Nah..never see them bother with issues at home, not enough kudos in that, got to make sure they get the “look at us, aren’t we great” mention in the news for stepping over the starving and homeless here, to post money off to far away lands.