Australia. Bushfires

byWendyGreen

253 followers

6 years ago

Today we are safe after being evacuated for a week while the heroic fire fighters protected our horse stud in the Snowy mountains half way between Melbourne and Sydney.

So many of our neighbours and small villages very close to us were burnt out. We survived un-touched but it was close, very close.

Every single Australian acknowledges the amazing and tireless effort put in by all emergency services working together.

Special thanks to those who died in the line of duty, volunteers and professionals. A special acknowledgement and thanks to the three men from U.S. who came to help but who perished in their water carrying aircraft,and that tragedy was in my area. The distress we all feel when a hero is killed is palpable.

We decided to leave when a large red glow came up over our tree line on a hill just outside our back door.

After a week living in our caravan with my two Burmese Thelma and Louise, we are allowed home but still on alert. Today the smoke has gone after many eerie weeks and there is a glorious blue warm sky.

The week we spent as evacuees was surreal, with thick smoke, daily meetings for fire updates, evacuees sleeping on mattresses in the town hall, all the emergency services gathered in this nearby town with us, constant fire news on radio and through the emergency apps. Impossible to think of anything else plus the heat was unbearable, 40 degrees plus.

I took that week off WA. I could not concentrate!

I am writing as one of the lucky ones and I will be forever grateful for each and every individual and organisation who gave their all to the task at hand. So many fabulous strangers came into my life during these weeks. I will never forget the love and care given so freely.

One word: GRATEFUL