Gator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm
When the Longwood bushfire of January 2026 incinerated the Martin family’s home, farm sheds and machinery, including 11 tractors, two Gator utility vehicles, and 3,500 mature fruit trees, it was the loyalty of locals and the kindness of strangers that helped them to get back on their feet.
Adrian and Valda Martin and their son Craig crop 4,500 biodynamically certified cherry, peach, plum, apple, quince and olive trees on their 80-hectare Mill Spring Farm, near the small country town of Ruffy, 100km north of Melbourne.
When sparks from a car trailer ignited grass on the edge of the Hume Highway at Longwood, the family had just finished the cherry harvest and started picking a bumper crop of Barbara peaches, and the season was shaping up to be one of the best in a decade.
A member of the Country Fire Authority for 35 years, Craig managed to save the home he shares with his partner Sue, half a kilometre from his parents’ house, but remembers driving at 40km/hr and almost being outrun by the fire before escaping into a blackened paddock.
“At the shed we lost 22 pallets of boxes for the fruit, the generator for the freezers, 11 out of 13 tractors, Sue’s car and my ute with my wallet and phone in it, all our tools and two six-wheel Gators, both with electric lifts,” Craig said.
“The only survivor was the old ute we take to the Melbourne Market. There wasn’t so much as a piece of baling twine or string left on the place.”
It was the John Deere Gators that his father, Adrian, missed the most. Aged in his early 80s, Adrian relied on the utility vehicles for mobility and independent work around the farm.
When a generous donor called Craig’s mother to offer to pay for new furniture for the family home, she told him that was not a priority.
“Mum said we needed a Gator first,” Craig said.
“Dad is able to walk around but the Gators are great when he’s driving any distance, and the electric lift means he can load tree scraps or prunings into the tray and just press a button on the dash to unload it.
“I also use a Gator to show visitors around the orchard, because you can get right into the rows to inspect the trees and it has a low-pressure footprint, so it doesn’t compact the soil like a ute.
“So, the donor asked Haeusler’s dealership in Shepparton, where we’d bought one of ours previously, to source a six-wheeled Gator.
“There were a couple available interstate, but Haeusler’s went above and beyond to find one locally and get it to us in a week, which meant a lot.”
It was a happy day when the new TH 6×4 Gator arrived, and Adrian was able to start helping to clean up the burnt-out homestead.
“Dad didn’t say much, just jumped on it straight away, but I sent the donor a video and Mum rang to thank him profusely, because he’d actually listened and responded to her request,” he said.
“That donation made us feel as though someone cared for us, when we had nothing. And it made Dad feel important, because it enabled him to work.”
Haeusler’s General Manager Lou Haeusler said the dealership was proud to support the Martin family beyond the initial delivery, ensuring the Gator remains a reliable part of their recovery in the years ahead.
“We know how important this machine is to Adrian and the family, so we’ve committed to providing five years of free servicing to make sure it keeps doing what it’s meant to do and helping them get back on their feet,” Mr Haeusler said.
Mr Haeusler said the dealership would continue that support at Seymour Field Days, where Haeusler’s will partner with disaster recovery charity BlazeAid to raise funds for communities impacted by fire.
“For every sale made at Seymour Field Days, we’ll be making a contribution to BlazeAid to support their work on the ground helping farmers rebuild fences and recover after bushfires,” he said.
“We’re pleased to have BlazeAid volunteers join us on the stand across the event, so people can learn more about the work they do and how they can get involved.”
The Martins are now waiting and watching their 3,500 severely burnt trees for signs of life. After a steady, soaking 100mm of rain in two falls, some have sprouted leaves, and Craig has invested in a new pair of secateurs.
A GoFundMe page started by the Biodynamic Marketing Co, the Martins’ agent in the Melbourne wholesale fruit and vegetable market, has raised more than $30,000 to help them restore the orchard and rebuild fences and sheds.
“A biodynamics greengrocer in Sydney contributed $5,000 to the fundraising page because he said he doesn’t want to lose our organic fruit, and the smaller donations build up too,” Craig said.
“It all makes us feel very grateful.”
