John Andrew
John Andrew, owner of The Meat Inn Place in Lilydale, boasts a legacy of butchery, offering exclusive grass-fed and free-range meats, and specialising in low-and-slow cuts. With a career inspired by his father, John’s passion and expertise have nurtured a reputable business distinguished by unique offerings like Kiwami Wagyu, driven by a commitment to quality and community service.
How The Meat Inn Place and Lilydale Locals Stepped Up for Fire Relief
Reading Time: 8 minutes and 37 seconds
Christmas is always a busy time for us in Lilydale, but this year the fires shifted everyone’s focus fast. When we first started talking about how we could help, my mind went straight to the firefighters. I was thinking we could cook meals and make sure crews had something warm and ready when they needed it.
That idea quickly turned into something bigger. People started reaching out, offering support, and asking where they could drop things off. So we opened the doors at The Meat Inn Place, started collecting donations, organising supplies, and helping get support out to fire affected communities. The response from Lilydale locals was incredible.
Our local paper also shared the story of Lilydale stepping up, which I am proud to be part of, because it captures what this community is really like when it matters. Read the news article here.
What we did to help
Once we decided to act, we focused on doing things quickly and properly. The goal was simple. Collect what would genuinely help, organise it fast, and get it moving to the people who needed it.
Here is what we did at The Meat Inn Place:
- Opened our Lilydale shop as a donation drop off point
- Sorted and packed supplies as they arrived so nothing sat around for days
- Coordinated deliveries with volunteers and local contacts so supplies went where they were most useful
- Kept communicating updates so the community knew what was happening and how they could be involved
- Adjusted our approach as relief centres filled up, so we could keep support targeted and practical
The biggest thing I want to say here is thank you. This only worked because Lilydale locals backed it straight away and kept showing up.
Where the supplies went
Over the weekend, we helped get donated supplies out of Lilydale and into fire affected areas through a mix of volunteer runs and larger deliveries. The main focus was keeping things moving quickly and making sure support reached the places that needed it most.
In short, the community response meant we were able to:
- Get supplies delivered into multiple affected areas
- Support relief efforts through both small volunteer trips and larger loads
- Help where needed, then adjust as some centres filled and the situation changed
What stood out most was the teamwork. People across different towns were coordinating, topping each other up, and working together without fuss. That is what made the whole effort work.
The local legends behind it
None of this happened because of one business or one person. It happened because Lilydale locals and nearby businesses stepped up straight away and kept backing the effort with time, resources, and real care.
We want to recognise a few of the people and groups who helped make it possible:
- Volunteers who gave up their time to sort, pack, and deliver supplies
- Local businesses like Baker’s Delight, The Fine Food Merchant, Rural Fence and Trade Coldstream, and more
that helped coordinate materials and move larger loads quickly - Community groups who were already on the road and doing the hard yards
- Everyone who donated, shared updates, and checked in to ask what would help most
It is easy to feel helpless when something like this happens. What we saw instead was a community that got organised fast and did what Australians do best. People showed up and got it done.
How we are helping moving forward
As the days go on, the situation keeps changing. Some relief centres fill up quickly, needs shift from one area to the next, and what helps most can look different from one day to the next. So we have adjusted the way we respond to make sure the support stays practical and useful.
From here, our focus is on targeted help and better coordination:
- We are prioritising direct contacts in affected communities so supplies go where they are actually needed
- We are checking before sending loads so we do not overload centres that are already at capacity
- We are keeping communication clear so locals who want to help can do it in the most effective way
We are still here, still local, and still ready to support. The main thing is making sure help reaches the right place at the right time.
If you have a contact, please reach out
Right now, the most helpful thing is being able to connect directly with the people on the ground. If you know someone in an affected community, an individual who needs support, the Lilydale CFA, or a local coordinator, please get in touch. Even a simple connection can help us get the right support to the right place.
