A large Batlow family who lost their home in this year's bushfires are finally closer to rebuilding, and a friend of the family is encouraging the wider community to pitch in.
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Steve and Vicky Bellchambers are still living in temporary accommodation as they work towards rebuilding the family home, which housed a mix of six children, grandchildren and foster children.
The family have been approached by a company which has offered to match grant funding they received to help build an eco-friendly home aimed at becoming a prototype for new, environmentally friendly ways to build.
However, a range of setbacks including with land clearing and asbestos mean the family is currently about $40,000 short of what they need.
Adrienne Steward from the Yass Bushfire Relief Centre has set up a GoFundMe account, hoping to cover the difference for the family.
Ms Steward said she met the family while representing the bushfire centre, and she has since gotten to know the generosity of the family.
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She said Ms Bellchambers worked with at-risk youth in the community, the couple were keen foster parents and their eldest children helped out in similar areas in the community.
"They've got hearts of gold and all their thoughts about rebuilding a house, none of it's really about them, it's all about how they can use the house to make other people's lives better," she said.
Steve Bellchambers said it was a legal requirement that every foster child had their own room, and he was hoping to be able to afford to accommodate their two permanent foster children as well as their eldest children.
He said he had also been approached by foster agencies about taking on more foster children, which he would like to do if he could build the space.
"They need some room to be able to do what they want to do and develop themself as a person without being on top of each other, our property lends itself to that and what we're trying to do is marry that so the house lends itself to that as well," he said.
Ms Steward said she was hoping to make her funding goal because the family would be able to do good things in the community if they had the opportunity.
"I would love to be able to meet the $40,000, that's goal one for me but I'd absolutely love to blow that out of the water so they could build one or two extra bedrooms on top of what they need currently," she said.
Mr Bellchambers said he had learned following the bushfires to ask for help when he needed it, and it was "amazing" Ms Steward had put the effort in to help his family.
"It's really refreshing and moving to see somebody who's motivated purely by wanting to help people," he said.
Mr Bellchambers said those acts of kindness created a ripple effect, and he hoped to be able to have a similar impact on the lives of foster children with his family's new home.
"Anybody that is thinking about doing something to make a difference, that one drop in the ocean does make a difference," he said.
Those wishing to donate can find the fundraiser at Help the Bellchambers Rebuild! on GoFundMe.com.
