Australia Weather News

It's been a week since violent storms smashed through Queensland's South Burnett and now the really hard work has begun.

The small farming locality of Coolabunia bore the brunt. Snapped, twisted tree trunks and roofless structures are a reminder of the force of the wild weather.

Helping to get the community back on its feet is a team of volunteers from BlazeAid, a national organisation which helps to rebuild fences and farms after natural disasters.

"It's overwhelming to walk out of your property and see the amount of damage that's done — you wonder where you're going to start," BlazeAid volunteer Dennis Bishop said.

This week he spent time helping local farmer Jon Chaseling deal with significant damage to his 160 acre cattle farm.

"I've got an old tank in that scrub down there … I don't even know where it came from," Mr Chaseling said.

Last week Mr Chaseling had to round up his dog and take cover in his shed, watching on as extreme winds and hail big enough to kill livestock wrecked his farm.

Although his house is roofless and his family has relocated, the priority is to get the fences back up.

"[It's] just great to have a bit of moral support … not trying to do everything by yourself," Mr Chaseling said.

"We're just … trying to make the most of it here and get this one fence straightened up."

Mr Bishop was born and raised on a Queensland cattle property, and knows well how the weather can impact on life on the land.

"There are lots of ups and downs, and they have to contend with the weather, and they've been through a rough trot with the last nine months, which has been very dry," he said.

The events of the last week have understandably added to the strain on the Chaseling household.

"[I] had a few anxious moments, I suppose, at night over a beer or two, and felt a little bit overwhelmed," Mr Chaseling said.

He and his wife manage the property, as well as juggling full-time jobs and caring for their two young children.

Since the storm they have made a concerted effort to buffer their kids from the upheaval.

"The main stayer behind the whole thing is my wife. She's just been incredible," Mr Chaseling said.

"Just the strength of one particular woman, and she didn't bat an eyelid. She just walked through the house on the first day and we retrieved out of there what we could," he said.

In less than an hour of knowing each other, conversation flowed freely between the two men, as they chainsawed through fallen trees and re-strained fences.

"We've got a few things in common so, [we're] talking choppers and aeroplanes," Mr Bishop said.

After a productive morning, initial apprehensions had long faded.

"When they said they'd send someone out, I wasn't real sure who, what, where and when," Mr Chaseling said.

"Having Dennis here for the morning, I've achieved more in the half a day than I would have done in two days."

Mr Chaseling works off farm in a mining job, and wouldn't normally be home this week. Despite having to leave the house, the Chaselings have had extra time together.

"We just want to carry on and continue to … enjoy the time that we are together, when I'm not away at work and … make this just a distant memory."