Bushfires continue to intensify following the hottest and driest year on record in Australia. Since September 2019, numerous catastrophic fires have plagued every Australian state in what is just the beginning of a historic fire season. The coastal and southeastern regions, Victoria and New South Wales, are the worst hit.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries among our brothers, but there has been a significant loss of property, including nine homes that were completely destroyed. To date, more than 700 brothers have been evacuated. Many Witness families have decided to leave the affected areas because of record-setting smoke levels, which have been described by some as a public health emergency. Most of those evacuated have chosen to stay with family, friends, or publishers from surrounding congregations, which are not in the direct path of the fires.

The Australasia branch has formed two Disaster Relief Committees to provide spiritual and material help. Two circuit overseers and members of the Branch Committee are shepherding and encouraging our brothers in the affected regions. Even though most of the brothers and sisters affected by the fires are exhausted, both physically and emotionally, many have expressed sincere gratitude for the genuine Christian love that our brothers continue to display.—1 Peter 2:17.