Communities Don’t Run Themselves

Charlie Fancett | Glenreagh Rural Fire Brigade

Long before the gates open, before crowds wander through the displays and before the first axe strikes timber, Charlie Fancett is already hard at work.

For almost a decade, Charlie has been one of the volunteers working behind the scenes to help make the Glenreagh Timber Festival happen.

Alongside the Glenreagh Rural Fire Brigade, he has spent countless hours directing traffic, coordinating parking, setting up equipment, packing down and completing the practical jobs that most visitors never see.

For Charlie, that is simply what being part of a country community means.

“Communities don’t run themselves,” he says.

They rely on people being prepared to turn up, lend a hand and do what needs to be done.

Finding a Familiar Country Community

Charlie and his wife, Meg, moved to Glenreagh nine years ago.

They had been searching for somewhere that offered the same sense of country community they had loved during their years in Kangaroo Valley.

Charlie’s brother Barry had visited Glenreagh for more than 30 years before purchasing property in the area. The opportunity to move closer to family while becoming part of another close-knit rural community was too good to pass up.

“We liked the atmosphere,” Charlie says.

“It reminded us of where we’d come from.”

The couple soon became deeply involved in the Glenreagh community, bringing with them decades of volunteering and emergency-service experience.

Today, the wider Fancett family contributes to the region in different ways.

Meg supports the Glenreagh Rural Fire Brigade behind the scenes and volunteers with the Orara Valley CWA.

Their daughter, Terri, has established a photo-printing studio in Glenreagh, while Terri’s husband, John, works for Coffs Hardwood, delivering power poles across New South Wales, Victoria and beyond.

For the Fancetts, community involvement is not something separate from everyday life.

It is simply part of belonging.

A Lifetime of Community Service

Charlie’s commitment to the Rural Fire Service spans an extraordinary 46 years.

Before joining the Glenreagh Rural Fire Brigade, he spent more than three decades with the Kangaroo Valley Brigade, serving as Senior Deputy Captain.

During those years, he also supported the local ambulance service and police whenever help was needed.

Charlie and Meg also helped establish and run the Junior Rural Fire Brigade in Kangaroo Valley, passing their knowledge, practical skills and sense of responsibility on to younger volunteers.

Professionally, Charlie worked as Supervisor of Operations and Maintenance for the Shoalhaven Water Supply and Power Generation Scheme.

Whether at work or at home, he has always been drawn to practical service and helping things run smoothly.

That same attitude shapes the way he approaches the Glenreagh Timber Festival.

Visitors may see a lively day of entertainment, food and competitions.

Charlie sees months of preparation and hundreds of volunteer hours coming together.

A Small Community Creating Something Remarkable

Charlie’s first Timber Festival involved plenty of hard work.

“There was a lot more setting up and packing up back then,” he says.

“And parking wasn’t anywhere near what it is now.”

Over the years, he has watched the festival grow and improve.

Thousands of visitors now move through the recreation grounds, taking in timber displays, woodchopping competitions, market stalls, vintage machinery, classic vehicles and family entertainment.

For Charlie, one of the most rewarding moments is hearing a first-time visitor say they will return the following year.

“For such a small community to put on an event this size is outstanding,” he says.

That reaction confirms that the effort happening behind the scenes has created something memorable.

The Energy of Festival Day

When Charlie thinks of the Glenreagh Timber Festival, he does not immediately picture a single attraction.

He thinks of movement.

Crowds flowing through the grounds.

Woodchopping competitions underway.

Vendors welcoming visitors.

Exhibitors proudly sharing their displays.

And volunteers moving quietly between tasks, making sure everything continues to run.

“The movement of the crowds, the woodchop events in progress, the vendors and the effort everyone puts into their displays,” he says.

That collective energy is what makes festival day special.

It is also what keeps people returning.

It’s Not Only About Timber

Charlie believes one of the festival’s greatest strengths is something many visitors do not realise until they arrive.

“It’s not only about timber,” he says.

“The activities for children are outstanding, and there’s entertainment for everyone.”

Timber heritage remains at the heart of the event, but the festival offers something for every age and interest.

There are creative activities for children, steam engines and vintage machinery, classic vehicles, demonstrations, markets, food and entertainment.

Families can spend an entire day exploring the grounds and still discover something new around the next corner.

For Charlie, this variety allows the festival to celebrate Glenreagh’s history while remaining a welcoming and enjoyable day out for the whole community.

Understanding the Work Behind Timber

Charlie grew up around farming and rural life.

He once owned a 106-acre cattle property where he grew ryegrass, and at another point in his working life he was an oyster farmer.

These experiences gave him a practical appreciation for the industries and natural resources that have supported Australian communities.

His respect for timber comes from understanding how deeply people have relied upon it.

“Sustainable harvesting is important,” he says.

“Without timber, we can’t build bloody houses.”

Charlie believes the festival has an important role in helping younger generations understand the realities of timber work.

They need opportunities to see old equipment, steam engines, crosscut saws and flying foxes in action.

They also need to understand how difficult and physically demanding the work was before the introduction of modern machinery.

For Charlie, preserving this history is not simply about nostalgia.

It is about recognising the effort previous generations invested in building Australia’s homes, towns and industries.

Festival Stories That Live On

Although the Timber Festival requires a great deal of hard work, Charlie has collected plenty of amusing memories along the way.

During one setup, he accidentally left his double-bladed knife stuck in a log.

Fortunately, someone from the steam-engine display found it and returned it safely.

Then there was the day Charlie was walking across the grass when a slow-moving vehicle nudged him from behind.

He remembers hearing a daughter say to her mother, “Do you know you’ve just hit a man?”

Asked about the funniest thing he has seen at the festival, Charlie grins.

“The sky—after I got knocked over.”

But one of his favourite stories involves a misunderstanding in the trailer-parking area.

A volunteer directing vendors into the grounds took the instructions a little too literally.

Every vehicle towing a trailer was told to unhitch it, leave the trailer in the designated area and then drive away to park the tow vehicle somewhere else.

Before long, trailers were lined up in one place, vehicles were parked in another and a growing number of confused vendors were wondering why they suddenly had two separate parking jobs.

“We had a good laugh over that one,” Charlie says.

“Once we realised what was happening, we sorted it all out.”

It is the kind of light-hearted mix-up that becomes part of Timber Festival folklore.

When an event is powered largely by volunteers, there is always a story to tell—and always someone willing to laugh, help and keep things moving.

Measuring the Festival’s Success

For Charlie, the success of the Glenreagh Timber Festival is not measured only by attendance numbers.

It is measured by what the festival gives back.

The event supports local organisations, strengthens community groups and demonstrates what can be achieved when people contribute their time, expertise and energy.

“The benefits to the community are why it should never be lost,” Charlie says.

When the festival paused, he was disappointed but practical.

“That’s life,” he says.

“Sometimes these things happen.”

Now that the event has returned, he hopes new visitors discover what Glenreagh locals have always known.

“It’s a fun day with so much to see,” he says.

“It’s not just timber. There are vintage cars, tractors, steam engines and activities everywhere.”

Proud to Lend a Hand

Asked to describe the Glenreagh community in one word, Charlie does not hesitate.

Proud.

Proud of its volunteers.

Proud of its history.

Proud of what such a small community can achieve.

And proud of its willingness to lend a hand whenever one is needed.

“If you ask someone around here for help, most people will give it,” Charlie says.

Perhaps that is the real story of the Glenreagh Timber Festival.

Yes, it is about timber.

Yes, it is about preserving history.

But more than anything, it is about people who continue showing up year after year to keep both alive.

Because communities do not run themselves.

They are built by people like Charlie, Meg and the many volunteers who quietly step forward, get the job done and make sure the next generation has something worth returning to.

Charlie Fancett | Glenreagh Rural Fire Brigade