Phillipa Nefri Clark: #AuthorsForFireys guest blog on bushfire impact

This entry is part 22 of 31 in the series #AuthorsForFireys firefighting fundraiser series

#AuthorsForFireys firefighting fundraiser series

This guest blog features Phillipa Nefri Clark, an author auctioning items to raise money via #AuthorsForFireys for the fire fighting effort here in Australia. The full set of #AuthorsForFireys interviews and blog posts will be here as soon as they are published, as interviews and guest blogs for #AuthorsForWildlife will be here.

Meet Phillipa Nefri Clark

Hi there

I’m Phillipa Nefri Clark, an indie author based in the Macedon Ranges, Victoria.

I write small town mysteries and mystery romances.

Our business was able to assist with the King Lake bushfires a few years ago, bringing home the impact these monster fires have on everyone involved, from wildlife and residents to the fire crews and more.

We live in a fire-prone region with several close calls in recent years to our property.

Watching the events of recent weeks unfold left me heartsick and helpless but this auction reminded me that we all can help, even in small ways.

I’m both auctioning and bidding and hope to make a difference, no matter the size.

Many thanks to everyone involved in making this auction succeed.

Phillipa

Phillipa Nefri Clark’s offers

Blog auction info: https://phillipaclark.com/2020/01/09/australian-bushfire-auction/. Phillipa is offering items on Twitter AND on Facebook, so read on!

Twitter offer one

#AuthorsForFireys Auction now on, ends 11pm Syd/Mel time 11 Jan 20. Bid for the complete series of five paperbacks, signed by me, and sent to you. Help me help the CFA. Bids below and please retweet. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/HDhYZEAOeb

— Phillipa Nefri Clark (@PhillipaNClark) January 6, 2020

#AuthorsForFireys Auction now on, ends 11pm Syd/Mel time 11 Jan 20. Bid for the complete series of five paperbacks, signed by me, and sent to you. Help me help the CFA. Bids below and please retweet. 🙂

Twitter offer two

Three signed paperbacks (small town whodunnits set in Victoria), naming rights for a character, a kangaroo, or a shop in book 3, acknowledgement in book 2. Bidding ends 11pm 11th Jan. #AuthorsForFireys #authorsforfiries #RETWEEET pic.twitter.com/mfkaKmxXbd

— Phillipa Nefri Clark (@PhillipaNClark) January 7, 2020

Three signed paperbacks (small town whodunnits set in Victoria), naming rights for a character, a kangaroo, or a shop in book 3, acknowledgement in book 2. Bidding ends 11pm 11th Jan. #AuthorsForFireys #authorsforfiries #RETWEET

Facebook page with offers: https://www.facebook.com/PhillipaNefriClark/

Facebook Offer 1 is the complete River’s End series in paperback, signed and sent. Bid on the offer, please.

Facebook Offer 2 is naming rights of a character, shop, or kangaroo in Deadly Secrets (out June), an acknowledgement in Deadly Falls (out March), and signed paperbacks of the three books (The Christmas Tree Thief is already out). Bid on the offer, please.

Many thanks to everyone involved in making this auction succeed.

Phillipa

Want to know if this is legit?

Yes, it is legit. The whole community — Australian and global — is rallying together to support Australian firefighters, wildlife rescue and bushfire victims. Here are some reports on this effort.

Fundraiser information from Emily Gale

The #AuthorsForFireys auction will take place only on Twitter from Monday 6th January, ending at 11pm AEST on Saturday 11th January. Scores of authors, illustrators and book industry people will host their own individual auction under the hashtag #AuthorsForFireys and bids will take place on each tweet. At the end, the highest bidder donates the amount directly to the firefighters fund. After receiving proof of donation, the author or artist will dispatch goods/services or make arrangements for delivery.

As originally wanted by @EmilyGale and @NovaWeetman, this fundraiser is now officially for ALL fire services in Australia. The official Authors For Fireys Website will be updated accordingly. Winning bidders or auctioning authors can nominate funds to the fire service of their choice.

Items up for auction include signed books, original illustrations, one-off fan-art and craft, unique gifts and manuscript critiques for writers.

There is a supporting site, explaining how it works, at this address: https://authorsforfireys.wixsite.com/website.

Series Navigation<< Ashley Kalagian Blunt: #AuthorsForFireys guest blogSamuel Maguire: #AuthorsForFireys guest blog >>

And thank you for contributing, Emily Gale and Nova Wheetman for organising the #AuthorsForFireys / #AuthorsForFiries fundraiser, thanks to all contributors donating goods and services to the fundraiser, thanks to all those bidding and getting the word out there.

Also thank you to all the firefighters who have put their lives on hold to risk their lives to hold the line against these fires. In Australia’s cities, firefighters tend to be paid. However, in rural areas, Australia relies heavily on volunteers to fight fires. These people are sacrificing their time to fight fires with substandard equipment while the government gives empty assurances and refuses essential equipment like respirators, helmets, replacement boots and even uniforms. Volunteer firefighters only have one uniform each, so many are fighting fires in 12, 16 and 21 hour shifts only to collapse from exhaustion then get up the next day and go out to fight in either an already filthy uniform or a still-wet uniform.

So far 4 firefighters have died. Three of them died when their vehicles rolled. My understanding is that volunteer fire fighters do NOT have roll cages in their trucks although paid firefighters do. We may not know whether roll cages would have saved those lives but, when a firenado picks up trucks and flips them — like when one of those firefighters died — these heroes need the best possible equipment to save their lives and to help them save others. The fourth firefighter died fighting fires in Batlow, I believe. I don’t know the circumstances other than he, too, was heroically risking his life for others.

I’d also like to acknowledge the loss of human life: the total direct death count from these fires is now 25 I believe, with hundreds believed to have died prematurely due to smoke inhalation, a death toll that is not being publicised.

And the wildlife death toll is believed to be half a billion with at least another half billion to follow due to loss of habitat, loss of water and food supply, and injuries.

It will take years, possibly decades, to recover from this bushfire season. But, due to climate change, bushfire seasons will continue to start earlier, finish later, and be generally more catastrophic.

Every single person involved in this effort – our fireys, their friends, family and communities, fundraisers, contributors, publicists, EVERYONE – is helping to get the word out there, to counteract misinformation from the government and from pro-fossil fuel climate-change-denying media agencies and their talking heads.

Thank you one and all.

And thank you, Phillipa, for your guest blog and your comment. Sorry if I got a little off-track with my reply.

2 Comments

Phillipa Nefri Clark says:

January 9, 2020 at 12:45 pm

Thank you for supporting this amazing auction!

1. Nalini says:
  
  January 9, 2020 at 2:21 pm
  
  And thank you for contributing, Emily Gale and Nova Wheetman for organising the #AuthorsForFireys / #AuthorsForFiries fundraiser, thanks to all contributors donating goods and services to the fundraiser, thanks to all those bidding and getting the word out there.
  
  Also thank you to all the firefighters who have put their lives on hold to risk their lives to hold the line against these fires. In Australia’s cities, firefighters tend to be paid. However, in rural areas, Australia relies heavily on volunteers to fight fires. These people are sacrificing their time to fight fires with substandard equipment while the government gives empty assurances and refuses essential equipment like respirators, helmets, replacement boots and even uniforms. Volunteer firefighters only have one uniform each, so many are fighting fires in 12, 16 and 21 hour shifts only to collapse from exhaustion then get up the next day and go out to fight in either an already filthy uniform or a still-wet uniform.
  
  So far 4 firefighters have died. Three of them died when their vehicles rolled. My understanding is that volunteer fire fighters do NOT have roll cages in their trucks although paid firefighters do. We may not know whether roll cages would have saved those lives but, when a firenado picks up trucks and flips them — like when one of those firefighters died — these heroes need the best possible equipment to save their lives and to help them save others. The fourth firefighter died fighting fires in Batlow, I believe. I don’t know the circumstances other than he, too, was heroically risking his life for others.
  
  I’d also like to acknowledge the loss of human life: the total direct death count from these fires is now 25 I believe, with hundreds believed to have died prematurely due to smoke inhalation, a death toll that is not being publicised.
  
  And the wildlife death toll is believed to be half a billion with at least another half billion to follow due to loss of habitat, loss of water and food supply, and injuries.
  
  It will take years, possibly decades, to recover from this bushfire season. But, due to climate change, bushfire seasons will continue to start earlier, finish later, and be generally more catastrophic.
  
  Every single person involved in this effort – our fireys, their friends, family and communities, fundraisers, contributors, publicists, EVERYONE – is helping to get the word out there, to counteract misinformation from the government and from pro-fossil fuel climate-change-denying media agencies and their talking heads.
  
  Thank you one and all.
  
  And thank you, Phillipa, for your guest blog and your comment. Sorry if I got a little off-track with my reply.