Anniversary Sarsfield Bushrires.
Posted: 30 Dec 2020, 08:29
It was this day last year when dreadful fires roared through our sleepy hamlet of Sarsfield.
49% of homes there were lost and fire affected 79% of the Sarsfield landscape.
We were lucky not to lose our main house, though it was badly damaged and took 9 months to repair, but we could live in it thankfully. We did lose the second house where Gaels sister was living at the time.. We also lost everything else on the property. My farm shed with a lifetime assortment of tools and equipment, some was dads tools from just after the war. They can’t be replaced. An almost new tractor, implements, plus all our beautiful native gardens and structures. Additionally we lost a plantation of over 1000 trees and were suddenly exposed to the world after having been private before that. The intense heat of the fire killed about 3 1/2 acres of remnant bush and only a few trees survive today.
It was a scene of complete devastation when we finally were allowed in to our property for the first time. In our mid 70s the prospect of recovery seemed just far too enormous. No power or water for days we struggled along in a house stinking of smoke and full of ash.
The first group out to offer physical help was Veterans Assist, organised by our local RSL. A group of some 22 ex ADF members descended and gave us their labour and companionship for about 3 days. When I tried to thank them they said “Happy to be here helping family. fellow veterans” It brings tears to my eyes just thinking how wonderful these people were and how hard they worked for us. That was the first time I had any hope for the future.
Next a church group Samaritan’s Purse, though we are not religious the bought a group consisting of volunteers from all over the world, and what a great group they were! Blaze Aid rebuilt our fences and all we had to supply was fencing materials. They must have loved Gaels morning teas as they made a speech and gave us 3 new shovels before they left. Memories of these wonderful people are indelibly fixed in my mind.
There are many others unnamed, some drop in flowers, father’s day gifts, eater eggs and even a Christmas hamper. We could have taken much more but we have never needed help before this and taking is not normally in our nature. However pride had to take second place under such circumstances.
Now the real reason for me writing this is to talk about the monetary assistance we have received over the last year.
Some of you would have given money to assistance groups, Red Cross, Salvos etc and over the year that money has been the sole reason we have been able to afford to undertake the very expensive recovery and rehabilitation of our property. $6.5k to remove 30 trees on one boundary, thousands more to remove a paddock full of trees, more again bulldoze trees into piles so I could burn them, more again to re establish tracks, then bulldozing and disking the land so ultimately we can put cattle on to look after the grass. All of these vital things covered from the magnificent donations from people like you.
The incredible generosity of the people of Australia has given us hope and the confidence to go forward.
For that I give our heartfelt thanks.
49% of homes there were lost and fire affected 79% of the Sarsfield landscape.
We were lucky not to lose our main house, though it was badly damaged and took 9 months to repair, but we could live in it thankfully. We did lose the second house where Gaels sister was living at the time.. We also lost everything else on the property. My farm shed with a lifetime assortment of tools and equipment, some was dads tools from just after the war. They can’t be replaced. An almost new tractor, implements, plus all our beautiful native gardens and structures. Additionally we lost a plantation of over 1000 trees and were suddenly exposed to the world after having been private before that. The intense heat of the fire killed about 3 1/2 acres of remnant bush and only a few trees survive today.
It was a scene of complete devastation when we finally were allowed in to our property for the first time. In our mid 70s the prospect of recovery seemed just far too enormous. No power or water for days we struggled along in a house stinking of smoke and full of ash.
The first group out to offer physical help was Veterans Assist, organised by our local RSL. A group of some 22 ex ADF members descended and gave us their labour and companionship for about 3 days. When I tried to thank them they said “Happy to be here helping family. fellow veterans” It brings tears to my eyes just thinking how wonderful these people were and how hard they worked for us. That was the first time I had any hope for the future.
Next a church group Samaritan’s Purse, though we are not religious the bought a group consisting of volunteers from all over the world, and what a great group they were! Blaze Aid rebuilt our fences and all we had to supply was fencing materials. They must have loved Gaels morning teas as they made a speech and gave us 3 new shovels before they left. Memories of these wonderful people are indelibly fixed in my mind.
There are many others unnamed, some drop in flowers, father’s day gifts, eater eggs and even a Christmas hamper. We could have taken much more but we have never needed help before this and taking is not normally in our nature. However pride had to take second place under such circumstances.
Now the real reason for me writing this is to talk about the monetary assistance we have received over the last year.
Some of you would have given money to assistance groups, Red Cross, Salvos etc and over the year that money has been the sole reason we have been able to afford to undertake the very expensive recovery and rehabilitation of our property. $6.5k to remove 30 trees on one boundary, thousands more to remove a paddock full of trees, more again bulldoze trees into piles so I could burn them, more again to re establish tracks, then bulldozing and disking the land so ultimately we can put cattle on to look after the grass. All of these vital things covered from the magnificent donations from people like you.
The incredible generosity of the people of Australia has given us hope and the confidence to go forward.
For that I give our heartfelt thanks.