Fund for Cornish bush fire victims
County Councillors will be asked today (Tuesday) to set up a special fund to help bush fire victims in the historic Cornish miners' settlement of Bendigo and the surrounding area.
The move follows calls from North Cornwall's MP, Dan Rogerson, who asked that leading Liberal Democrat councillors put the measure to today's full council. If the fund is set up, members of the public will be able to contribute directly to rescue and rebuilding efforts.
The Cornish formed a major component of the huge wave of migration to the goldfields around Bendigo in the 1850s and the City Government says "Cornishmen have made a great contribution to Bendigo's development in the years since, primarily with their hard rock mining expertise, but also as mayors, councillors, preachers (the first religious service), teachers, foundry operators, journalists, business proprietors and more."
James Curnow, the Cornish Miner, was Bendigo mayor five times, and Sir John Quick, born in Trevessa, was Bendigo's first representative in the Australian federal Parliament. There remain a large number of Bendigonians with Cornish ancestry today, and the city is twinned with Penzance.
Commenting, North Cornwall's MP, Dan Rogerson said:
"I hope councillors will vote today to ensure Cornish people can help their bretheren downunder.
"The bush fires have taken lives and livelihoods, devastating acres of pasture, destroying people's homes and bereaving whole communities.
"This is a time to recognise our special ties to that area, and offer what assistance we can."
