Countless trees, predominantly shallow rooted pines and eucalypts, that had become weak due to the sodden soil, succumbed to the force of the winds and crashed to earth.

For Blayney SES controller Reg Rendell and his team of nine volunteers, last weekend was the busiest that he’s ever experienced in his many decades in the SES.

“We had forty call outs from 9:15 on Friday night and just finished our last one out at Barry on Tuesday,” he said.

Fortunately Mr Rendell said that the damage to houses was only slight, and that their main priority was to clear roads and driveways.

“My thanks really goes out to my members,” he said. “They really did excel themselves last weekend.”