Black Summer donations from Australians nudged $640 million. Getting it to those in need was a miracle

The sheer scale of the bushfires that scarred so much of the country’s east coast a year ago shocked millions around the world. But the enormity of what followed is almost as stunning.

From philanthropists to celebrities and corporations to ordinary people across the country, Australians rallied in their millions to help, and in doing so created a challenge like no other — how to get the…