You’d have to have been living under a rock to not know that the last month or so has seen vast areas of the eastern seaboard of Australia devastated by bushfires. Untold acres have been burnt, wildlife has died in unspeakable numbers as well as livestock and domestic animals. Worse than this, however, has been the human toll with lives lost, whole towns virtually wiped off the map and billions of dollars worth of properties damaged or destroyed. Infrastructure like the power grid, roads and bridges and peoples’ livelihoods have been evaporated in the face of fires that travel along the treetops at over 100km/h and send spot fires ahead of them for kilometres. Even towns and properties that have been built since the last episode and supposedly fire-proof (or at least resistant) have been shown to be totally inadequate in this latest disaster.
I’m not going to get into the causes though a frighteningly large number of people have been charged with arson since the emergency began but the good news is that heavy rain is predicted in the area for the next few days, a blessed relief for the weary fire-fighters and victims of the disaster.
And, out of it has come, as it always does, heart-warming stories of human resilience, courage and generosity. Help has come from far and wide, with many nations sending fire-fighters, equipment and money to assist the local effort. Relief agencies have been overwhelmed with donations of the necessities of life for people who have lost everything in the fires. Local communities who have not been affected have rallied around offering help, emergency accommodation, semi-trailer loads of hay for starving stock, truck-load after truck-load of food and essential supplies. And the monetary assistance has seen unheard-of figures being donated by businesses and high profile people who see it as their responsibility to share something of the wealth they have with those who have been so badly affected.
Back in the 90’s my wife and I bought a bush block down near Bega. It was 25 acres on a sloping block covered with trees. We levelled an area near the road and put an old railway carriage that we had bought on the spot. Over a number of years we gutted the dining car of all of its accouterments and turned it into a very comfortable little cabin in the bush. We put a roof over it and a verandah all around and it was great. Only half an hour to Tathra wharf for fishing and peace and serenity in bucket loads. BUT, Helena always worried about fire and I could see her point. The road it was on was the only road in and out and it was a narrow, dirt track. A very dangerous situation if a fire did come. In the end we sold it. I was so sad to see it go but it made sense to do so. That whole area was trashed by the fires after Christmas and I’d be certain that the train is gone. Unless you’ve been close to an Australian bushfire there is no way to describe the horror.
People have been asking, “What can I do?” The simple answer is a two-fold one.
1. Give money. The relief agencies don’t NEED any more blankets, linen and food. What they DO need is money to use in the recovery effort.
2. Go and visit the fire-ravaged areas and spend money in the towns. So many local businesses will be eliminated as small family-run motels, take-aways, caravan parks, etc will not have the resources to rebuild and re-open. Now that we’ve been told that it’s safe, go there, spend as much as you can; boost the shattered economy and “fly the flag” for the multitude of good people who feel so badly about what has happened to these little communities.
There are no winners here but Aussies have a way of turning defeat into victory and we’ll do it again.
