I spent five days up in Kinglake, I got to Melbourne a few hours ago. We all survived and had one of the last houses standing. I haven't seen a television for over a week and have just heard what we could on the radio, I'm really not sure what the story has been like through the eyes of the media, but we all know it was an horrific event.
The family's shop burned to the ground, along with the chickens and semi-feral cats (the fires weren't entirely bad!). Noel and Nan's property burned completely out, apart from the house which was saved by the chopper. We were all pretty thrilled to hear about the water bombing!
The scene was one of the most amazing things I've ever lived through; the fire was all around us, there were frequent explosions all around us for a few hours while the front was moving through - gas tanks exploding, cars crashing and exploding, and there were fatalaties all around the area. The hours before the front came through were incredible too, although they seem like a distant memory after what followed. It was a very hot day, and it looked like a large rain cloud was coming in, we looked out the window and realised it wasn't a cloud. The power had gone out, as had the phone, and we had trouble getting information. Everyone in the area was told that the fires were a long way away and were contained. We watched the smoke for a while, then it obviously got going right near us. Very quickly the whole area was covered in smoke, the sun turned vivid red and the land was a strange, eerie colour. Moments later it was pitch black dark outside, at about 4pm on what had been a completely clear day; this was a very scarey moment. We stayed to defend the house, but unfortunately many people in the area panicked and attempted to flee too late. Before the fire had even arrived people were dying on the roads.
Over the following days the mood has gradually lifted though. I was so impressed by the spirit of some of the people. I saw two little girls recognise each other while we were waiting for food supplies in what was left of the Kinglake township, they were happy to see each other and started talking with big smiles on their faces. One said her house had burned down, the other said hers had too. They kept chatting away with big smiles. People whose houses had burned to the ground often had good senses of humour too; there were people who had escaped with the 'valuables' they'd managed to grab. In one case this was some expensive crystal. They'd managed to get their hands on some cheap grog and were merrily drinking it from the fine crystal, sitting in the ash where their home once was, and having a great time! The scenes like that really lifted my sprits after driving through all the devastation. Of course, there were also many people in tears, people with horrible injuries, and people just in shock. You learn so much in an experience like this. About people, about yourself, about priorities and values, you identify or confirm what is really important to you. As horrible an experience as it was, I've come out of it a better person, which is one of the positives.
The loss of the shop is a financial and psychological blow to the family, but we are so happy and fortunate to have all of us still alive, and we even have the family home. Going through this has brought us all closer together than ever, and there's a wonderful, warm feeling between us all.
We are even fortunate enough to have been able to keep the rodent colonies! It was so strange to think that only a few months ago I had been standing in the snow, watching the rodent building and being impressed that they were continuing on with their breeding and playing, completely unconcerned by the cold which apparently didn't bother them. They continued playing etc through the fire too, unaware of the potential danger. Why do I think about the rats so much? Probably because while doing it I'm not thinking about all the dead people.
Thank you to everyone who has given support to the people involved, including all of the communication and well wishes, which are often as important as the food and basic supplies. Thank you to everyone who has contacted me personally and wished me well through it all; it really does help to know there are people who care.
Finally, an apology to the people I was supposed to see over the last few days! To those with rat orders, the cull was done shortly before the power went out and I had to bury them. I would have let you know sooner but it wasn't possible to call. We still have plenty of live rats and frozen stock in a Melbourne freezer (from before the fire) and your orders can be filled by the end of the week if necessary - if you're in a hurry give me a call or SMS and I'll look after you.