1) A Warm Welcome

When my husband Jonny and I touched down at Sydney airport on December 6th 2002 we were given a very warm welcome. Bush fires were burning all around the villages we were heading for, Berowra and Cowan.

After a pretty uneventful flight from South Africa we, for some unknown reason, arrived in Sydney two hours late. Our late arrival turned out to be a good thing in the end. Our sons Jonathan and Dominic had arranged to meet up and go together to collect us at the airport. It was arranged that Jonathan’s wife Sian would stay home with the girls as our arrival was timed for long after their bedtime. At the time that the boys had originally intended to meet the roads were all closed as there were huge bush fires raging all around and neither Jonathan or Dominic could get onto the highway to drive to the airport. The firemen must have worked very hard because when two hours later Dominic tried once again to get to the highway there was a big improvement in the situation and he was allowed through. But the road into Cowan was still blocked though so Jonathan could not get out and Dominic had to come to the airport alone. He managed to get there before we arrived and was there to greet us. On our drive to Cowan we were all a bit concerned that the road might still be closed and that we would not be able to get to Jonathan’s house. But the firemen had done a good job and the fires near the road were under control so we were able to get through.

Bush fires are a big problem in Australia. The bush is highly inflammable and a small spark can cause untold damage. Many of the indigenous plants of Australia need to burn to assist with the germination of their seeds. The resin in gum trees gets so hot that it explodes and scatters hot embers around for many kilometres, starting new fires all over the place. The fire service is manned mostly by volunteers and they do a wonderful job. They are heroes to the public, who call them “The fireries” They are well trained and well equipped. In large fires they use special helicopters and aircraft to pour water on the fire as well as the fire fighting equipment that they use on the ground. One of their large helicopters is called “Elvis” and it is interesting to see Elvis hover over the river and scoop huge quantities of water into the bucket that is suspended below it. It then flies over the fire and tips the water onto the flames. It seems as if they are trying to fight the fire with a thimble of water but it is very effective I know that many homes and lives have been saved by them. It is a very expensive procedure and is only used in extreme circumstances

Many homes in the area were under threat from the flames during that time and the people rallied together to help each other. They helped clear fire breaks around the houses, cleaned the combustible material off roofs and emptied the gutters. Coming into the situation as a stranger I was very impressed with the way people were pulling together and displaying what the Australians call “Mateship”
When we arrived in Cowan most of the fires had been put out and the fireies were just mopping up and making sure that the fires did not flare up again. The people in the area were so pleased with the work they had done that everywhere there were banners and flags hanging, saying “Thank you Fireies” or “We love the Fireies” Street parties were held so that the people could show their gratitude to the men and women of the fire service. We attended one in Cowan, with a live band playing from the back of a truck and just about all the villagers coming out to join in the fun. It was a lovely warm evening and as the children ran around and played the adults chatted about their experiences during the fires. There was still the faint smell of burnt bush in the air and everyone was so very grateful that they were still there to attend the party. Bush fires are something that the Aussies have learnt to live with and they seem to take them in their stride, we were very impressed with their attitude.