Real Heroes of the Bushfires
The last year was one that will be recalled with sadness in many Victorian towns, and across Australia.
In the space of an afternoon and evening our world changed, 173 lives were lost and towns became war zones.
This week-end marks the first anniversary of the February 7th bushfires which damaged 78 communities across Victoria and devastated towns like Marysville, Kinglake and Strathewen.
The shock and grief is still being felt, and will continue to be felt for a long time.
Rebuilding has started and many good things have happened, but there is still a long way to go, and much to do.
During the last year I have had the privilege of being the Federal Government’s Parliamentary Secretary for Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction.
I have heard stories of terrible losses but I have also met some inspirational people, whose quiet courage in rebuilding shows real leadership.
The united efforts of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Premier John Brumby, Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin, Reconstruction and Recovery Authority head Christine Nixon, the heads of the Bushfire Appeal Fund John Landy and Pat McNamara, and the local councils involved have been superb.
They have shown what can be done when all levels of Government work together.
But the real heroes are those in the bushfire-affected communities who have had leadership thrust upon them by this tragedy.
The ones who have fed, clothed and comforted neighbours, or who have had made it their quest to get the local Primary school rebuilt, to build a better park for children or to re-start a local sports club.
They have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that the way of life they love endures.
They have coped with the aftermath of the fire by turning their loss into a desire to rebuild and to help others to heal.
The response to the bushfires has brought out the best in this nation, a spirit of comradeship and sacrifice that surfaces in times of war on when we face a natural disaster.
The $378 million that was donated to the bushfire Appeal Fund, and the estimated 300,000 people who have volunteered their time and skills to help rebuild communities hit by the fires, are a tribute to the generosity of Australians.
No response to such a massive disaster could ever be perfect.
The media has often focused on negatives, and has overlooked a lot of the good work being done in communities, by people grappling with disaster on an unprecedented scale.
I would urge all Australians to keep thinking of those affected by the fires, and to do what you can to help those communities, many of which rely on tourism.
Rebuilding these communities will take years of effort.
We can’t bring back a lot of things, but we can embrace with feeling what is still here, and we can build with hope on burnt foundations.
In contemporary academia,
In contemporary academia, disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriately managed risk. These risks are the product of hazards and vulnerability.Hazards that strike in areas with low vulnerability are not considered a disaster, as is the case in uninhabited regions.
Australian Gov and people of
Australian Gov and people of these nation especailly those who volenteered them to help out the victims, did too much for people of victoria. Thanks to them
For me one of the really sad
For me one of the really sad things about this was the lost opportunity we as a nation, our politicians particularly, both Federal and State.
These people who suffered and fought the fires, lost neighbours and loved ones, lost their homes cars, belongings, etc, displayed attributes, morals, values that put me to shame. They made me feel humbled, and proud of my fellow citizens.
They didn’t bemoan their loss of plasma TVs, stainless steel kitchens and gold plated shower taps. Rather they spoke of what the experience taught them about what is important in life for them, and in fact all of us in Australia. Community, appreciation and time with loved ones, good neighbourly relationships. The material things they missed were family photo albums of the memories with loved ones. Finance hardly got a mention and certainly not things like the size of their superannuation, or 7x24 shopping!
Yet politicians, with lots of help from the media, tell us about raising the standard of living, where the latter is measured exclusively by materialistic and financial measures.
Here was an opportunity to home in on the things that are really important to Australians, and hence establishing a basis for politicians to make changes for a better lifestyle for Australians. It has nothing to do with finance, profit and loss, or bank balance. The latter seem to be important to blinkered politicians, who want us to work longer hours, till we are older, replacing everything we own, with newer versions of the same. Sacrificing time with our families, friends, neighbours, sacrificing sport, and leisure like regular trips to the national parks, dams for weekends picnics, bbqs, etc.
In a climate sensitive world the values and lifestyle that these models of what we all want as Australians, makes a lot more sense than materialism, fast cars and obesity. Economics is about the application of finance for community good, ie, about how you use the money. The opportunity is we can have a better higher quality life, if leaders and politicians, lead by changing our attitudes, re-focusing our values and morals, giving back ‘time’ to Australians, to live this life.
My gratitude is to these people for opening my eyes.
I know how hard it is to lose
I know how hard it is to lose a home in a fire
ilived in nsw when my landlord burn it down he got away with it it was an insurance fraud i lost everything
we slept in my car in frozen temperatures no assistance cause it wasnt natural disaster
cold and hungry we were i had three kids pleaded with docs no help was given
the land lords kid kept saying who cared cause my daughter was asian
no one cared
i know how others feel about homes destroyed in fires
Condolences go out to all
Condolences go out to all those communities this time of year. Australia was really inspired by your strength and courage.
I agree with Heather and we
I agree with Heather and we prayed for them during their time of mourning and we pray for them now. While I am on line may I hand out a real Thank You for the way You handled the Mining disaster in Tasmania. Bill, you were the only one that gave us some hope and kept us informed. Australia takes its hat off to You.
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