Originally from County Kerry in Ireland, Bert has been volunteering with BlazeAid since 2014, clocking up what he estimates to be about 27 camps in that time.
His first was in Longwood, and more than a decade later, he’s still putting his hand up to help farmers rebuild after fire and drought.
“I’ve lost count,” he laughs, when asked how many sites he’s worked on.
What he does know is that each one matters.
Bert wasn’t a fencer when he joined BlazeAid.
Like many volunteers, he learned on the job, picking up skills from seasoned hands and farmers willing to share their knowledge.
Before long, he was confident enough to work in a team and pass on what he’d learned to newer volunteers.
“There’s nothing like having someone beside you on the fence line that you can depend on,” he says.
“You learn pretty quick out here.”
These days, Bert usually works in a small crew of four to six people.
He’s worked on camps across Victoria, but has also lent a hand in the Adelaide Hills and as far north as Julia Creek in Queensland, where he spent six weeks on a drought response.
The work isn’t without its challenges.
Bert is hearing impaired, which can make communicating with farmers difficult, especially when directions involve paddocks, gates and landmarks that only locals know well.
But getting it right matters.
“That’s the primary purpose you’re there for, you do it as the farmer wants it,” he says.
And the reward? A smile and a handshake at the end of the job.
“Glad to have you there,” is how Bert describes most farmers’ reactions.
“There’s nothing like it.”
Currently, 10 weeks into this camp, Bert says the scenery is something special, particularly up on the hills and rocky country, but it’s the impact on farmers that keeps him coming back.
“When BlazeAid steps in, it makes a massive difference,” he says simply.
At an age when most people have well and truly put their feet up, Bert Hickie is still out on the land, wire in hand, quietly helping rural communities get back on their feet one fence at a time.
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