Aussie Sikhs Drive 700kms To Deliver Food And Supplies To Bushfire Affected Town

A group of Melbourne Sikhs has gone on a massive road trip to help out their fellow Aussies.

Australian Sikh Support watched as parts of Australia erupted in flames and decided that they couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

So a few members of the team packed cars and drove more than 700 kilometres from Victoria's capital to the New South Wales town of Braidwood, near Canberra.

The area has faced some pretty brutal fires over the past week, with more than 37,000 hectares of land being burned. Thankfully, that fire is now at advice level after a mammoth effort from firefighters.

Australian Sikh Support/Facebook

But the community has been blessed by more than 350 boxes of food, water and supplies from the Australian Sikh Support.

Sikh Support secretary Gurjit Singh told SBS News: "When we came here, to Australia, we had nothing - only like two bags with us.

"So everything we have, we have because Australia gives us a lot of things. So we spread the message that if a bad situation is happening anywhere in the country, we always stand with them.

"We also want to look into training with the firefighters, so the next time this happens we can help.

"When we met with them, we talked with them, and they motivated us, so if we can get some training through the Country Fire Authority or other firefighter groups then maybe in a few years we can join them."

Australian Sikh Support/Facebook

The boxes were dropped off at community centres around Braidwood as well as at the homes of farmers who have been affected by the bushfires.

Volunteer firefighter Alex Dunnin also told SBS News that they were blown away by the compassion and show of support.

"These folks drove all the way from Melbourne - they were that keen to help," he said.

"People are getting exhausted, they've still got to run their jobs, their businesses, their families - so these kinds of gestures from the community mean a lot."

They're now trying to raise money so that one local farmer can build a new water system.

This sort of stuff really restores your faith in humanity. We need more people like this.

Topics: News, Inspirational, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie