For most Canadians, the scenes of the devastating wildfires in Australia are shocking to watch from afar. But for Hollie Fraser, it鈥檚 gutting.
The owner of Burnaby鈥檚 Punk Rock Pastries, a popular new bakery on Hastings Street, says her parents鈥� home in Bawley Point, New South Wales is near the ignition point of the wildfires, which have killed at least two dozen people and millions of animals and destroyed thousands of homes.
Fraser said her dad stayed to protect his home for as long as he could, but was eventually forced to evacuate the immediate area.
鈥淚鈥檝e had friends lose their houses and lose everything, and sitting back and watching my hometown burn is probably the worst thing that鈥檚 ever happened,鈥� Fraser said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 horrible not to be able to do anything, to feel absolutely helpless.鈥�
Fortunately for Fraser鈥檚 family, the local volunteer firefighters saved the family home for now 鈥� and Fraser couldn鈥檛 say enough good things about those firefighters.
鈥淭hese guys outdid themselves,鈥� she said.
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But the disaster continues to press on in her home community: With the temperature flaring up, so are the fires, and the resources are running low or gone, from water tanks to internet connection to food.
鈥淢y dad just had surgery on his arm, so he鈥檚 pretty much helpless,鈥� Fraser said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 run out of medication; he鈥檚 in a lot of pain. And I feel like I鈥檓 a sitting duck, and I feel like I鈥檓 absolutely helpless. It鈥檚 horrible. It鈥檚 the worst feeling in the world.鈥�
That being said, Fraser hasn鈥檛 been entirely helpless. She鈥檚 managed to raise $800 for the firefighters serving Bawley Point and another neighbouring community, through Punk Rock Pastries鈥� tip jar, donations and cupcake specials, as well as donating a portion of sales from last Saturday.
鈥淭hey need every penny they can get. I鈥檓 putting out whatever feelers I can,鈥� Fraser said.
She even tried to get the hashtag #sendthecanadianwaterbombers trending. That wasn鈥檛 exactly successful, by Fraser鈥檚 own admission, but she said she鈥檚 happy to see more Canadians and others from around the world heading to her home country to help fight the fires.
But she鈥檚 also upset that she needs to raise the money in the first place. She notes Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has received heavy criticism from around the country for doing too little too late on the matter.
鈥淒amn right,鈥� she said of that criticism. 鈥淗e literally did dig his own grave. He wasn鈥檛 there when the Australian people needed him, unfortunately, and now he has to pay the consequences for that.鈥�
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Although she鈥檚 had tremendous support for her regular Instagram posts pushing for help for her home community, she鈥檚 also had some pushback. Two customers came to her store to tell her to stop posting about Australia and to focus on her work, while four others have messaged her online to say the same.
She acknowledges the gendered context of people essentially telling women to 鈥渟hut up and bake,鈥� as she put it in an Instagram post, but she said those people are messing with the wrong woman.
One of the customers who complained in person, a regular, was told not to come back to the store, and she鈥檚 kept up with her Instagram posts 鈥� which still receive plenty of support from her followers.
Fraser said she鈥檚 doing cupcake specials all this week, and she鈥檚 planning a fundraiser for Australia Day at her shop on Jan. 26.
