They had actually started arriving much earlier, in the days after the Green Valley fire tore through on December 30.

But James and Elise and their sons Sam and Jake barely stopped in that first fortnight; the visitor book idea came later.

"We had no power for 18 days, and we had to milk," James said.

"They wouldn't let the fuel or feed trucks up. They wouldn't let the milk tankers up. Milk was going down the drain."

Using generators, they were going through 100 litres of fuel a day, and a bloke called Josh driving a red ute was replacing their supply. There were many like Josh - kind, unfamiliar faces, eager to help.

And it was a good thing too, as all fencing on the 283-hectare dairy farm was gone. There were 280 cows and heifers to look after - they'd been saved through preparation and determination.

"We had the roof leaking by the time Elise got home that day," James recalled of December 30.

"We hosed everything down, we had a sprayer sitting on the silage rolls and a lay-flat hose around the house.

"When you're fighting a fire, slow is fast."

Jake, a plumber by trade, put metal sliders in the gutters so they could be filled with water.

Brother Sam had a motorbike fitted with a sprayer and cousin Alexander was also there to defend the Bluff Falls Road property.

Unlike the 2003 fires, when there were 35 lightning strikes in one day, the Hills knew where the fire was coming from.

What they didn't expect was to be left fighting it alone.

Elise radioed the CFA four times during the course of the night, asking for help.

"Our first fire was at 20 to 10, and the main front came through about 2," she said.

"The second time I called, he [the captain] said 'We can't come up your road'.

"The third time, he said, 'Oh I'll send six to seven tankers' and I thought, 'Thank god', and no one turned up."

James later found out from somebody he knew on the tanker that they were sitting down the road but had been told it wasn't safe.

"The thing is, earlier in the evening a spot fire had started when everything was calm. If they had put that out, it would have changed how it [the Green Valley fire] went over that hill, changed how it went over Mt Mittamatite and Corryong," James said.

"This is one of the first places where it came out and into the open, once it crossed the river."

James, who has been a Cudgewa CFA member with Elise since they purchased their farm in the 1990s, described how a water bomber contracted to Victoria offered to support the NSW response.

"He put one out in the Wabba Wilderness, it burnt a few hectares and was all over," James said.

"This one [Green Valley] lit at the same time and he was flying back to Albury and he could see the smoke and asked if they wanted a hand, and was told 'No, your assistance is not required'. This state thing is just ridiculous."

The Victorian inquiry into the bushfire season acknowledged cross-border issues.

"Victorian resources were ready and available to assist New South Wales on 29 December and 30 December, however only minimal air assets were utilised," one stakeholder said in the report.

"There is no way for the brigades on either side of the border to communicate," said another.

The Hills put these issues and more to Minister for Emergency Lisa Neville when she attended the Cudgewa pub.

Also in anniversary stories:

"She said, 'It's all about being safe'," James said.

"It's never safe to fight a fire, but you've got to fight a fire.

"Fire is going to be our enemy now."

The CFA does not manage Victoria's aerial fleet contract arrangements but a spokesman said there was strong collaboration with NSW.

"CFA provides interstate brigades in close proximity to the Victorian border with appropriate CFA hardware including radios [and vice versa]," he said.

"Other arrangements to ensure cross-border collaboration include CFA personnel attending interstate Incident Control Centres."

The spokesman said CFA had a duty "to ensure our people come home safely by not exposing them to undue risk and danger" and worked to prepare communities.

"The risk to firefighters and the community was severely elevated during the unprecedented fire conditions seen in North East Victoria," he said.

"Operational decisions including the deployment of firefighting vehicles were informed by such factors as the unprecedented weather conditions observed and unpredictable fire behaviour at the time.

"On high fire risk days community members cannot expect a fire truck at every house. Fire safety is a shared responsibility."

The Hills acknowledge the efforts of all involved in the firefight.

"The fact is, we could have gone, but we probably would have nothing left," Elise said.

The events of the Upper Murray fires have held less significance for the Hills recently - they have faced a far greater challenge.

During the ongoing clean-up and the pandemic, they have been trying to come to terms with losing their 21-year-old son Sam to suicide.

Sam, or "Sammy" as he was known to many - a caring young man with an awesome sense of humour, who loved animals and fishing - was farewelled at a private ceremony in August.

Attendance was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.

As hard as that was, other aspects of the pandemic relieved some pressure for the family.

"I think in the big scheme of things, as terrible as it sounds, COVID was good," Elise said.

"We could keep to ourselves.

"It's been just over four months, and people are coming to us now because they didn't know what to say before, and they still don't know what to say.

"That's the hard part, reliving it."

Despite this, the Hills have supported an initiative by paramedics and front-line workers in Corryong to create caps bearing the message "You'll never walk alone".

Printed on one side were the names Sam Hill and James Penman, and on the other side, Jake Evans, who died of cancer.

It's hoped the caps will be a catalyst for people who are struggling to seek help.

"It's my going out hat at the moment," James said.

"We knew the Penmans reasonably well.

"The hardest thing about it is ... there's no answers to the questions."

There's no doubt the fire took its toll on Sam, and he had been going to counselling.

That doesn't at all ease the incomprehensible pain of losing him.

Along with the grief, doubt and anger has been the demands of insurance paperwork, the Holstein stud and 150 strainer posts.

Life lays it on thick sometimes, and James sure thought that when an air compressor gate took off the top of his finger in November.

But the season has been good - one of the best. There's been a few silver linings.

Families across the Upper Murray held onto those as they sat down to Christmas with memories of 12 months ago front-of-mind, with uncertainty ahead, and with people missing from the table.

The Hills are thankful for the support they have received, both after the fires and since Sam's death.

They hope their experience will lead to better fire responses and deeper conversations about mental health.

"There was overwhelming support from so many people," Elise said.

To say 'thank you' to those who helped on the farm post-fires, the Hills printed postcards and sent them to the addresses recorded across six pages in their visitor book.

On the front of the postcard, there were photos of the fire and regrowth on trees. "Thank you for your kindness and support during this difficult time," was their message. "Love, the Hill family."

On the back was a photo of Elise, James, Jake and Sam.

CFA's statement in full:

CFA's mission is to protect lives and property and our efforts are always aimed at achieving this outcome.

The health, safety and wellbeing of our members is of the utmost importance. We have a duty to ensure our people come home safely by not exposing them to undue risk and danger. The risk to firefighters and the community was severely elevated during the unprecedented fire conditions seen in North East Victoria over the 2019/20 season. Operational decisions including the deployment of firefighting vehicles were informed by such factors as the unprecedented weather conditions observed and unpredictable fire behaviour at the time.

On high fire risk days community members cannot expect a fire truck at every house. Fire safety is a shared responsibility and CFA continually works with communities to ensure they are well prepared for bushfires, particularly those who live in areas at high risk of bushfire.

It's the responsibility of community members and the strongest of advice from the CFA to ensure they have appropriate fire plans, and make the best possible decision for their family based on the current Fire Danger Ratings and official warnings for their area.

CFA collaborates closely with interstate colleagues in border communities and utilises a variety of options to ensure communication is maintained in interstate border regions when required.

CFA provides interstate brigades in close proximity to the Victorian border with appropriate CFA hardware including radios. Likewise CFA brigades in close proximity are provided with hardware from their interstate counterparts.

CFA also ensures resources deploying to assist in border regions are provided appropriate support such as portable interstate radios in vehicles.

Other arrangements to ensure cross-border collaboration include CFA personnel attending interstate Incident Control Centres . Likewise interstate officers will attend Incident Control Centres in Victoria for those incidents that have cross-border implications.