When she lost her home to the fires on New Year's Eve, Aboriginal elder Aunty Gloria was so determined to stay on her ancestral land she was prepared to camp in a tent rather than move to emergency housing.

Key points: Aunty Gloria lost her home in bushfires that swept through the Bateman's Bay area

Aunty Gloria lost her home in bushfires that swept through the Bateman's Bay area After hearing her story, volunteers with Find A Bed sourced her a caravan home

After hearing her story, volunteers with Find A Bed sourced her a caravan home Aunty Gloria will now be able to stay in her community

But thanks to a radio interview, she did not have to, with Australians along the east coast so inspired by her story, they arranged a 1,200-kilometre relay to deliver her a caravan home.



Bunja Smith, a Walbunja elder and a manager of the Booraja aged care program for local Aboriginal elders, used an interview with the ABC's The World Today program to highlight what had happened to Aunty Gloria, whose home in Mogo on the NSW south coast was severely damaged by fires.

Aunty Gloria's house was severely damaged in the New Year's Eve bushfires. ( ABC News: Isobel Roe )

"She'd more than likely be eligible for emergency accommodation, but she doesn't want to leave the area that she's connected too," he said.

At the time, Aunty Gloria was prepared to pitch a tent at the Mogo cricket ground, which locals refer to as the MCG, rather than leave what remained of her home.



"I wanted to go to the MCG and pitch up a tent so I can watch the progress, just keep looking across at the house and try not to get upset," she said.



But soon after Aunty Gloria's story hit the airwaves, Mr Smith received a message from a group of volunteers who have organised temporary accommodation and support for victims of the bushfire through social media.



"I was contacted by a mob called Find A Bed and through their network they had found a caravan for Gloria they'd like to give her to keep her safe."



Getting the caravan to Aunty Gloria



The group sourced a caravan from a donor on the Sunshine Coast who wished to remain anonymous.

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But the challenge of transporting the caravan 1,200 kilometres to Aunty Gloria in Mogo remained.

This led Find A Bed to source a relay team of drivers down the east coast of Australia.

The caravan travelled some 1,200 kilometres. ( Supplied )

Fran, a Coffs Harbour woman, was one of those who answered the call and hosted the caravan during a pit stop in Coffs Harbour.

She urged members of the community to fill it with supplies for Aunty Gloria, and even though Coffs Harbour has battled its own bushfires throughout the summer local residents gladly contributed.

The caravan, provided by an anonymous donor on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, was driven to the NSW South Coast. ( Supplied: Find a Bed )

"I'm only a really small part of this convoy," she said.

"People aren't necessarily all able to go out and fight fires or do a lot of things, but anybody can lend a hand."

The caravan was driven by four sets of volunteers, including Mr Smith, who drove the final leg from Wollongong to Mogo on Monday morning.



'It just shows you the generosity of people'



The first time Aunty Gloria saw her house after the fires, she was accompanied by two girlfriends and she refused to cry.



"But when I was on my own I did," she said.



A few days later, she walked around the wreckage by herself.



"All the memories in there; all my mother's stuff, stuff from my grandchildren, stuff from my great-grandchildren — it was terrible."

Bunja Smith (left) put the call out for a caravan after Aunty Gloria lost her home in the New Year's Eve blaze. ( ABC News: Isobel Roe )

When the caravan finally arrived in Mogo, it had been filled at every stop along the way with blankets, food and even a generator.

"She's so ecstatic," Mr Smith said. "It just shows you the generosity of people."

Mr Smith said he was glad Aunty Gloria, a Walbunja woman of the Yuin nation, would be able to stay on her country and in her local community in some level of comfort.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 5 minutes 6 seconds 5 m The World Today's report on Aunty Gloria Download 2.3 MB

"I feel much better having Glores [Gloria] in something she can lock," he said. "Where she can keep whatever possessions people donate to her, safely."