Victorian bush fires

I was living in Australia when the Victorian Bush fires - Australia's worst-ever natural disaster to date - obliterated a large chunk of Victoria. I was pretty much caught in the middle of it all. Although I didn't personally see the 1,000 foot high wall of fire, I evacuated where I was living and out-ran the smoke and fire by a hair. For the next few days I was safe, but literally surrounded by fires, with no chance to get out even if I wanted to.
For the next three weeks I was evacuated from my home, sleeping where and when I could, while helping the hundreds of fire survivors who had been bereft of everything (except their lives).
My Victorian Bush fires Diary - specifically the very dramatic recount of Day One - became a piece of "Australian history" and is archived in the National Library of Australia.

Special Post: Reflections on the 2009 Victorian Bushfires – by a Year Nine class in WA

Last Updated: November 30, 2020

I was recently contacted by a high school teacher in Western Australia, who said her year nine class was doing a project on the 2009 Victorian Bushfires, and having found my own diary entries on the ordeal, asked if I would be kind enough to read and respond to their reflections, as somebody who was […]

After the Fires: Our Multi-Coloured Backyard

Last Updated: November 30, 2020

After being home for a few days in the wake of a month-long evacuation due to the Victorian bush fires, we hear/smell/feel/see something that makes our hearts sing: rain. It pours overnight, and drizzles through the next few days. Although naysayers worry about erosion and the negative long-term restorative effects of too much rain, we […]