The Victorian Bushfires & The Strengthening Of The Community Spirit

Anyone following this blog will know I have been following the Victorian Bushfires - I can't help it - knowing the towns and communities that were hit, having family and friends that were directly affected, as well as some who have been directly involved in the aftermath, the clean-up, the re-building of lives.

One of the people I was initially worried about when I heard the news was Marg. I knew the bushfires were in Taggerty, where she and her husband lived. A short email was answered a couple of days later - they were ok, miraculously so were the neighbours closest to them. The fires did ravage around them but their personal losses were minimal - unlike so many others in the neigboring districts.


Marg started sending out a group email a few days later, letting us know how things were going, and eventually how the recovery work was progressing. She talked about the people she met and the strories she heard. Those emails have now turned into a blog and she continues to write while experimenting with this new format. If you are interested in news, personal stories & inspiration from the Victorian Bushfires I thoroughly recommend you have a look at Marg's Bushfire Recovery Diary.

Another project I have been following closely is the Lost Photo Project and my dear friend Michelle, who was quick off the mark with the idea of helping bushfire victims recover lost photos. A common answer to the question of "What would you grab if you had 5 minutes to get your most valuable possessions out of your home?" is undoubtedly - the photo albums. Yet many of the victims of the fires did not even get 5 minutes - they were lucky enough to get out with their lives intact.

The Lost Photo Project is asking friends, family and the wider community to be forthcoming with photos that might be of value to the bushfire victims. The photos are then being used to put together albums which are then presented to the victims, giving them back something that initially was thought to be irreplaceable.

The team from the project went on national television in Australia this week - to make an appeal to the wider public for help with the project.


Saving memories

So if you happen to have been in any of these areas holidaying - have a look back through your photos - you just never know if you have some locals, or local landmarks in the background that might be appreciated by these communities.

Other blogs/sites about the Victorian Bushfires:
Victorian Bushfire Network
Disaster Help Site
Help Flowerdale Now
ABC Bushfire Blog
Bushfire Housing
The Tree Project
Bushfire Help - Services
Wildlife Victoria
Pan Da Koala on Facebook (worth looking at!!!)
Help For Wildlife
Bushfire Appeal for the Wildlife
Animal Rescue Blog
Thank You Firies

Out of all of this there is one thing that becomes very, very clear. The concept of mateship is alive and well and the community spirit, already so strong in Australia, goes from strength to strength. Just don't forget the wildlife - they need our help too - now and in the years to come.

Victorian Bushfires Tree Project

On Saturday 7 February 2009, the State of Victoria, Australia experienced the worst natural disaster in the country’s history— a raging fire so fast and so severe that many people were unable to get out of its path. Over 200 people have perished, 7000 are homeless, townships are destroyed and the grief in the affected communities is overwhelming.

To remember the people lost to the fires and our brave CFA men and women who battled the elements to protect our towns, the Australian Blacksmiths Association (Victoria) Inc. is inviting blacksmiths from across the country and around the world to contribute to The Tree Project. We are asking you, our fellow ‘smiths to contribute, not monetarily, but to help us to grow a tree from our forges and fires. We ask that you forge a gum leaf from stainless steel or copper to be added to a forged gumtree. This gumtree is to be erected in one of the affected townships as a memorial of these events, for the loss suffered and for the spirit of renewal.

I wish I was a blacksmith, what a beautiful project.

Black Saturday, one month on

They tell me about the family funerals - a couple and their unborn child, another couple and their two young children; about unreleased bodies still waiting to be identified to the coroner's satisfaction; about angry, dislocated families still waiting to go home, to at least scrounge through the rubble for anything that might not have been burnt beyond recognition; they tell me about emergency housing set up; about donations and overwhelming generosity; about text message warnings being sent to all mobile phones on hot days; about how those remaining have removed their most valuable possessions from their home; about how they are tired of evacuating; about the forgotten victims; about the tragic wildlife losses; about new building regulations for fire-risk areas; about the high anxiety levels and kids sleeping on mattresses in their parents- bedrooms; about the re-building of shattered lives and the massive clean-up; and now finally, about the cooler temperatures and the rain that has soaked the burnt-out land.

Victoria is a very different place to what it was just three months ago when we left.

ABC - The Human Side of the Bushfire Disaster
Bushfire help

Wildlife Victoria - they need our help more than ever
Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife - just AUD 15,000 donated compared to the millions donated to families.

Not all Australian-Swedes made it out

I went to sleep last night thinking about three girls from Marysville. Three girls between the ages of 10 and 14, three girls of Swedish descent, who no longer have a home to live in, who don't have a school to go to, whose parents stayed to fight the fires, three girls who are now orphans......

Who is looking after them? Who is tucking them into bed at night now their whole world has fallen apart? How will they cope in the weeks, the months and the years ahead. My heart goes out to them.

I imagine their father's family were upset to read this incorrect article in SvD.

After the Firestorm: the best of the Aussie spirit

Watching this comprehensive report on the bushfires and the recovery operation gave me a real feel for the before, the during and the after. And this gripping, heart-wrenching and heart-warming program reminded me of all the wonderful things about the true Aussie spirit.

After the Firestorm: An ABC News Special

At the end of a week of devastation, Barrie Cassidy presents a one-hour news special, reflecting on those left injured and homeless, and what lies ahead. There will be discussion from local community members about their experiences, as well as debate about the main issues affecting them. As the recovery operation in Victoria moves into full swing, the focus is on switching to the lessons that can be learnt from this tragedy.

The True Aussie Spirit

Putting the internet to its best possible use!

Help is coming from all around the country.

Victorian Bushfire Appeal 2009
please help out in any way you can!


DN1, DN2, DN3, DN4. SvD are not covering the situation any longer.

Out of the ashes

crawls the true Aussie spirit.

The wildlife - one of the things I love and miss about Australia. I'm sure everyone has seen this by now, but click on any of the following photos for the stories behind them. Koala Sam's encounter with Mr Tree is one of the most inspiring stories to come out of Victoria's tragedy.

Wildlife rescue centres are being set up around the state to help these guys. Healesville Sanctuary are taking injured animals and I bet the country vets are doing their fair share of voluntary work to help the shelters. It will be a long time before they have a home to return to.
Generosity like it is has never been know before. When people are in need Aussies are FANTASTIC at rallying together to help out. People are not only generously donating money, but food, clothing, toys, household items and the list goes on.

My cousin is one of the many people out there gathering all she can from her friends to donate to those who have been left homeless. An old school friend is collecting to help a friend of hers who lost everything and setting up a website to help her community. Another friend has started a project to collect photos for those who have lost everything, to help them rebuild at least a few photos from their past.
The comradeship, or mateship, as we lovingly refer to it as. The loyalty not only to friends and family, but to those we share any situation with. In this case, neighbours.

In this case, professionals from around the country who have volunteered their services to help locate and identify the bodies.
And finally, stubbornness and determination. That fighting spirit that takes risks and battles on, against all odds. While some vow never to return, many, many more are vowing to return and rebuild.

We often talk about national traits and these are the things that I love about Aussies - pitching in, whether it be to fight fires, care for wildlife, or give to those in need- time, money or anything they can get their hands on. There is great empathy and compassion for the underdog. There has always has been.

This is an extension of the mateship, binding people together to support each other if they are in the same situation, whether they know each other or not. It is an admirable trait.

And finally, the fighting spirit - it is what brought people to the country in the first place - they had to be daring, gutsy and willing to take a risk to settle here. You see the same traits present in the people of today when they declare they will be back. Many accept it is all part of the course if you are going to live in the bush.

Two traits that just might develop out of all this is the tendency to plan and to have more of a long term perspective. Hopefully John Brumby will be successful in introducing tougher building restrictions for the bush as outlined in this article. Ty commented on the flimsiness, and cheapness of the country dwellings when we were in rural Victoria just a month ago. In light of his comments it is ironic to see from these photos how the fires engulfed houses but seemingly left many trees intact.
Housing is relatively cheap in Australia. While more solid buildings might cost more in the short-term, hopefully people can see the long-term advantages. The estimated extra AUD 20,000 is peanuts when you look at it from this angle. Perhaps that famous Australian Dream needs to be adjusted slightly.

It is also encouraging to see in this article that other important issues of forest management and climatic change coming to the surface, amongst all the debris.

Aussies are a fantastic bunch - like no other. Let's hope they can rise to the challenge and begin to have a more long-term approach to life.

DN1, DN2, DN3, SvD1,

Fight or Flight? The issues are many. But what about climatic change?

In the aftermath of the worst fires in the history of Victoria, the discussions start, the inquiry is yet to come. It seems like the fires of Black Friday in 1939 these fires will have far reaching consequences as the issues are aired, debated and investigated.

The hot topic in Australia at the moment in the decision to stay and defend one's property. It seems many of the deaths were the result of people staying and yet not having the resources to have any affect on the fire, let alone defend their property, or themselves. When they realised it was not possible to battle the inferno they got in their cars to leave. Sadly, many died trying to escape. Others are criticizing the lack of warning. Information was not circulated in time to give people a chance to escape.
CFA backs "defend or go" policy.
Fire authority warns against knee-jerk reaction to evacuation policy

Then there are those who say that more can be done in the name of prevention. There are those who say we need to return to, or increase the use of the aboriginal methods of burning off the undergrowth. Australian firestorms prompt call to return to Aboriginal bush control

Or that fire is something we need to understand, accept and prepare for if we are going to pursue that great Australian Dream of land around us in the outer green suburbs. Australians 'unprepared' for bushfires

Other issues at the moment include:
Power lines to blame for the fires, not arsonists. Why are they not dug into the ground like they are in so many other places around the world? Especially considering the damage that storms can do, gum trees dropping limbs, fire threat etc etc. Is it simply because it costs too much and no-one is prepared to bite the bullet and make the investment? Is there an unwillingness to be long-sited rather than short-sited?

An act of terrorism? A very scary thought. And if it is not true the spreading of such stories is in itself scary.

Bodies that will never be identified. Horrific to think that they have undergone those sort of conditions. What must the heat have been like? But how can we not identify people in this modern day and age? Is our fear of big brother and criminal intervention greater than our common sense? DNA registration would not be a bad thing in times like this? Did we not learn this from the tsunami?

Anger over not being able to return to their properties as roads and conditions are not safe. I understand the desire to go home, to see it for your own eyes, to be reunited with loved ones, to find out if they are still alive, to pick up the pieces and get on with life. But surely the police know what they are talking about when they say the roads are not safe? And perhaps there is some good that comes from staying in tents on an oval with other victims.

'Greenies' blamed for fires' fury. or National parks 'part of fire problem'. It is a complex issue and one I have contemplated a lot. Plant more trees is my motto, far too many have been chopped down in Australia - yet it is the trees that become a death trap. Angry survivors blame council 'green' policy. Perhaps we are just not meant to have a home among the gum trees.

And finally there is the overall environmental issue, seemingly overlooked. My first thoughts as I read the Swedish articles in DN, SvD, and many of the Swedish blogs about the fires is that Australians are still dealing with what has and is happening, they are in shock, in mourning and it is going to be a long time before they are ready to talk environment and consequences. Yet I know that Australians are not too keen to talk environment at the best of times. There is not the consensus there, like here, that weather extremes are due to climatic change and environmental damage. There doesn't seem to be the same willingness to accept responsibility, take action, make a difference. And it doesn't get nearly the amount of media coverage or political focus there that it gets here in Sweden. But aside from all that, it is not the time to start pointing the finger and telling people they need to live in a more environmentally conscious way.

However I did find, thanks to a cousin, a little article in The Age that suggests some people are willing to talk environment. Thank you Freya Mathews, you give me hope. I only hope the Government is willing to listen to you.

Every Victorian, every Australian will know someone

I can't help but check the temperatures, read the latest updates and listen to the stories. I wonder about those I know, those I have met over the years, those who survived, those who didn't. I hardly dare make any phone calls to see if people are ok, to see if the blaze missed them, or if they got out in time.

As the days roll on I am reminded of friends, acquaintances, friends of friends, friends' family members and my family's friends who live in these areas. We will all know people who have been affected, who have lost their lives, their family, their friends, their homes, their pets, their livestock, their cars, their sanity, perhaps even their will to live. Each and everyone of us Victorians will know someone, directly, or indirectly.

I want to get on the phone, but I know how hard it must be to be on the receiving end of those calls - you spend more time answering the phone than picking up the pieces, more time reassuring everyone else than getting on with your life. Instead I scan the reports, the interviews, the photos and try and come to terms with what has happened. For once, this is not some far-away place, this is my home, these places have been my playground.

Here I can turn off the computer, put the paper away, shut down the radio and attempt to get on with my life. We have birthdays to be celebrated this week, work to go to and life to get on with - it needs to be that way.

But how is it there? How can anyone get on with their lives? How do you concentrate, sleep, eat, work, feed your kids, send them to school, how do you get up in the morning? And all the while be reminded every living minute of the tragedy that has so savagely ripped through our country. With fires still raging all around the state it is not over yet. And those who do have immediate family and friends affected can't possibly get on with their lives - help is needed to pick up the pieces, if there are any to be picked up.

And the irony of it all. While the fires still roar in the south, the north, already suffering from floods, continues to endure more rain and king tides. When will it end?

Today's articles in the Swedish press -
Opperation Pheonix to find those guilty
Australian authorities have reacted impressively quickly
The winds increase the danger
Rising temperatures a threat in Australia
Fire disaster is increasing in Australia
Australia hunting a murderer

Tragedy At Home: hottest city temperature ever recorded, the worst fires in our history?

After last week's record of three consecutive days over 44 degrees celsius, yesterday topped an all time high of 47 C - the highest temperature ever recorded in any Australian city.

I caught glimpses of it last night on the net but didn't realise the seriousness of it until my mum rang this morning with a rude awakening. While it seems none of my family or friends have been directly affected, the fires raged in Bendigo, just 30 mins away from my sister, and I saw my cousin's facebook photos of them wetting down their property in preparation, the smoke and an aerie colour in the sky behind them. Mum's call jolted me from my slumber, to a reality I'd rather not have. Yet to a reality that is pale in comparison to most Victorians' today.

The town of Marysville has been burnt to a crisp, incinerated, nothing is left. Marysville is, or was, a sleepy little town of about 300 or so people, nestled in the mountains. As my sister described it many years ago it is filled with greenies, loggers and local business people, it is the skiers last stop before they head up the mountain, it is a haven for bush-walkers and mountain bike riders, a lovely picnic spot, a gorgeous weekend get-away and has many an authentic craft shop, restaurant and cafe. It is where my sister bought her first property, where she settled many years ago, where my niece was born and spent the first couple of years of her life. It holds many memories for me, countless for my sister.

Today will be a very sad day for them, as she contemplates her own fire plan and sits by the phone waiting for the news. Her oldest, dearest friends are missing. He went off to fight the fires. She stayed at home with their daughter to defend their property in Narbethong. No-one knows where any of them are. I can only pray the news is good. But by every account it does not look good, the tragedy of it all makes me feel ill. (Edited to say they have been found and are safe). Watch this report on the area.

As I look through the photos, news clips, videos and read countless stories the tears well in my eyes and I feel like I could throw up. We Australians know what it is like to have our country ravaged by fire, even if we have not experienced it first hand. We always have family and friends who have. And we have stories of days gone by.

Black Friday - January 13th, 1939. The infamous fires that had widespread impact, not just on people but terrible environmental damage was done which saw the introduction of forest management to aid prevention of bushfires. The old hospital in the Dandeonongs burnt down, supposedly destroying my father's birth certificate, something that would affect him the rest of his life. 1.5-2 million hectares burnt. 75 people lost their lives. It reached 45.6 C.

Ash Wednesday - February 16th, 1983. My aunt's farm was one of the few on her road to survive. She, her daughter and son-in-law faced the danger again on Saturday, 26 years later. A family friend died defending her property. I remember the dust storm like it was yesterday, it was like nothing we had ever seen before. 210,000 hectares burnt in Victoria. 75 people dead in Vic & South Australia. Over 2000 homes burnt to a crisp and the total property damage was reported to be over 200 million dollars. The temperature was recorded in the low 40s.

There have been countless other disaster days, of various sizes. And that is over and above the bushfires that rage every summer in Australia.

And now we have Black Saturday: our darkest day ever. With the death toll currently at 108. I don't look forward to the final statistics.

There will be government support, and fund-raising appeals and events of all descriptions. Australians rally together in the most tear-jerking manner when their countrymen are in need.

But it is not the money that matters, it is the loss of lives, the devestation, the personal tragedies. It is a tragedy for livestock and for the animals of the bush, it is a tragedy for the forests themselves. It is a major environmental tragedy.

For the first time ever I understand what it must be like for people coming from war-torn places, worrying about their family, their friends, their countrymen. Not because I could do anything if I was at home, but because I feel for my country and for my people, in their darkest hour.

Click on these pictures to read more.

This is Brian Naylor, veteran news reporter who spent decades in my lounge room every evening updating me on what was happening in the country and around the world. This Australian icon and his wife died on their property in Kinglake.

My friends have been calling me today to make sure my family is ok (knowing I have a sister in the bush) and I can only imagine how the phones must be running hot in and to Australia at the moment. Sis 1 rang to make sure my mum was ok when she heard the fires were close to them, mum has been on the phone to check up on Sis 2, as well as to my aunt to find out what is happening at their place and how the rest of the family were fairing. The news has all been good, so far.

But there are many heart-breaking reports, there are SO many of them. Watch this incredible tear-jerker from St Andrews, this one from Wandong, and one from Kinglake. Not unkown places in some far-away country, but places I know, places I love. It is a tragedy like no other. I feel so sad for these people.

Finally now, Monday morning the Swedish papers are reporting it, SvD articles and DN articles. And as for mass-murder? Unfortunately arsonists are most often to blame, either that or reckless individuals. Desperately sad, but true.