{"id":18339,"date":"2026-04-02T03:45:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T03:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.haeuslers.com.au\/WP\/?page_id=18339"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T03:56:13","slug":"gator-donation-delivers-independence-on-burnt-out-farm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.haeuslers.com.au\/WP\/gator-donation-delivers-independence-on-burnt-out-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"Gator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Gator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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When the Longwood bushfire of January 2026 incinerated the Martin family\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

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\u2019 house, but remembers driving at 40km\/hr and almost being outrun by the fire before escaping into a blackened paddock.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cAt the shed we lost 22 pallets of boxes for the fruit, the generator for the freezers, 11 out of 13 tractors, Sue\u2019s car and my ute with my wallet and phone in it, all our tools and two six-wheel Gators, both with electric lifts,\u201d Craig said.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThe only survivor was the old ute we take to the Melbourne Market. There wasn\u2019t so much as a piece of baling twine or string left on the place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

When a generous donor called Craig\u2019s mother to offer to pay for new furniture for the family home, she told him that was not a priority.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cMum said we needed a Gator first,\u201d Craig said.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cDad is able to walk around but the Gators are great when he\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI 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\u2019t compact the soil like a ute.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cSo, the donor asked Haeusler\u2019s dealership in Shepparton, where we\u2019d bought one of ours previously, to source a six-wheeled Gator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThere were a couple available interstate, but Haeusler\u2019s went above and beyond to find one locally and get it to us in a week, which meant a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cDad didn\u2019t say much, just jumped on it straight away, but I sent the donor a video and Mum rang to thank him profusely, because he\u2019d actually listened and responded to her request,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThat 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Haeusler\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWe know how important this machine is to Adrian and the family, so we\u2019ve committed to providing five years of free servicing to make sure it keeps doing what it\u2019s meant to do and helping them get back on their feet,\u201d Mr Haeusler said.<\/span><\/p>

Mr Haeusler said the dealership would continue that support at Seymour Field Days, where Haeusler\u2019s will partner with disaster recovery charity BlazeAid to raise funds for communities impacted by fire.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cFor every sale made at Seymour Field Days, we\u2019ll be making a contribution to BlazeAid to support their work on the ground helping farmers rebuild fences and recover after bushfires,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

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.<\/span><\/p>

A GoFundMe page started by the Biodynamic Marketing Co, the Martins\u2019 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.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cA biodynamics greengrocer in Sydney contributed $5,000 to the fundraising page because he said he doesn\u2019t want to lose our organic fruit, and the smaller donations build up too,\u201d Craig said.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt all makes us feel very grateful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Gator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm When the Longwood bushfire of January 2026 incinerated the Martin family\u2019s 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.…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18339","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nGator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm - Haeusler's Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.haeuslers.com.au\/WP\/gator-donation-delivers-independence-on-burnt-out-farm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm - Haeusler's Group\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm When the Longwood bushfire of January 2026 incinerated the Martin family\u2019s 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.…Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.haeuslers.com.au\/WP\/gator-donation-delivers-independence-on-burnt-out-farm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Haeusler's Group\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HaeuslerGroup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-02T03:56:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.haeuslers.com.au\/WP\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Attachment.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"665\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"771\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.haeuslers.com.au\\\/WP\\\/gator-donation-delivers-independence-on-burnt-out-farm\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.haeuslers.com.au\\\/WP\\\/gator-donation-delivers-independence-on-burnt-out-farm\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gator donation delivers independence on burnt-out farm - 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