Rowan Callick reports in the Australian:
A half dozen friends from Beijing steer their three new four-wheel-drive cars, now caked in mud, to the side of the rock-strewn road to allow a People’s Liberation Army mobile generator and a fire brigade rescue ladder to chug past.
They wave cheerfully at their new comrades. Unlikely as it would have seemed merely days ago, they are now working side by side, engaged together in public service.
The number of volunteers involved in the relief effort in the Sichuan earthquake zone has climbed above 100,000; about 70,000 of them are formally registered, while the others are casual freelance helpers.
This almost rivals the number of PLA soldiers in the region, which peaked at 140,000 and is now declining.
Middle-class members of the Beijing SUV Club collected funds to pack their vehicles with supplies of medicines, clothes and food. They obtained leave from their offices and drove 1600km to the quake area. The journey took them 23 hours.
