THEY say 'great minds think alike'.
At least that's what happened a week or so ago when Hedland Export Depot manager Paul Brown and Arthur River cropping and sheep farmer Sam Burgess individually came up with the idea to gather a group of volunteers to help rebuild fences on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, after bushfires destroyed essential farm infrastructure there.
Both posted on social media seeking support for the idea when it was brought to their attention that they were doing the same thing.
The two have come together as #wafencingfarmers and have attracted about 50 volunteers willing to sacrifice time away from family and work to assist in the recovery and rebuilding efforts.
While they are still in the planning and fundraising stage they are set to travel to Kangaroo Island next month in two teams.
The first team will leave Norseman on February 15 and the second on February 25.
Mr Burgess said while most volunteers were willing to go at their own expense, he wanted to try to avoid that by raising enough funds to cover the fuel and expenses of the journey which could add up to $20,000 for all of the vehicles to get across and back.
He said BlazeAid, a volunteer organisation founded after the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, would provide meals and accommodation while they were on the island even if it was a swag in a shearing shed or community hall.
"After initial discussions with BlazeAid, we will be providing manpower and our own fencing tools," Mr Burgess said.
"Basically what we can fit on the back of a ute.
"We don't want to just turn up with 50 guys and overwhelm them, so we have spread it out with two teams so that we can assist over a month."
Mr Burgess said they were told not to rush across because insurance assessments still needed to be undertaken on the properties.
The few weeks would also allow time to attract donations and get organised.
"At first I thought we'd get a few people but the response has been fantastic," he said.
"It's become a lot bigger than I initially planned.
"We've had a lot of offers for support as well as people saying they would like to be involved but are not able to take the time off.
"My neighbours have offered to look after the farm as well while I'm away which was something I hadn't even thought about."
Mr Burgess said it was a big call for some of the volunteers to help as they were facing difficult times on their own properties with water shortages and a lack of livestock feed.
"When I get back from holiday I'll be starting to cart water," Mr Burgess said.
"The dams are bone dry."
Mr Brown said the support they had received was a true show of the Aussie spirit.
He said some ag suppliers had donated generators, chainsaws and post rammers for the trip, which would be left behind to help others continue the work.
"There's hundreds of kilometres of fencing that has been wiped out," Mr Brown said.
"We'll be taking our skill set and tools with us to help and do what we can.
"It's a pay it back/pay it forward thing as some of the volunteers had been recipients of assistance before and no doubt we will have a fire at some time here and need assistance."
The Country Fire Service, South Australia, reported that 65 homes had been lost in the bushfires on Kangaroo Island, which had a front that was more than 120 kilometres long and a perimeter of more than 588km.
Eighty fire trucks, 130 farm firefighting units and five water bombing aircraft and four spotter aircraft have been working to control the fires on the island.
BlazeAid is in the early stages of establishing a camp on Kangaroo Island to assist with rebuilding and the WA volunteers will be operating under their direction.
To assist with donations or to volunteer for the trip should contact Sam Burgess on 0430 641 638.