By Peter Douglas
DON Valley resident Kylie Gordon has described the work of neighbour Brad Hill as that of a “local hero”.
When winds of up to 120km/h hit the region on Sunday 9 October, like many townships within the Yarra Ranges, Don Valley was hit hard.
However, the wind storm was a call-to-action for Brad, who gathered up his neighbours, opened up his house and started serving up hot meals.
But his efforts didn’t stop there.
With disregard for his own possessions (a tree fell on his car), Brad got out his chainsaw, jumped on a mini-excavator, and then started cleaning up around the neighbourhood.
Ms Gordon said Brad’s only concern was for the safety and wellbeing of his neighbours.
“We’ve never seen anything like it, he just didn’t stop working the whole time,” she said.
“We had a powerpole hit our home.
“He came and collected us and our kids, then started cutting trees and fixing fences.
“There were trees in pools, fences down everywhere … it was just crazy.”
As about 12 neighbouring families gathered at Brad’s home, his work also included repairing the guttering at a home of an elderly resident.
He even paid for the materials to fix the guttering, according to Ms Gordon.
“We just want to give him a little thanks for all his good work,” she said.
