Page 459 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 10 February 2009
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As each report came in, the news became worse and worse, until we realised that we were facing a disaster of unprecedented scale and suffering. Comparing it to previous disasters, we can get a sense of the magnitude of the devastation. Until this weekend, Ash Wednesday was the most widely known fire of our generation. Over 100 fires burnt 210,000 hectares and caused the loss of 75 lives. The bushfires of 13 January 1939, known as the Black Friday fires, resulted in an area of almost two million hectares being burnt and 71 people losing their lives.
This fire has taken more than 170 lives at last count, with many more suffering terrible burns. It has destroyed countless homes and left thousands with nothing. Schools, shops, churches, houses—the fire did not discriminate, but destroyed almost everything in its path. According to latest reports, over 52 separate fires raged across the state, razing hundreds of homes and hundreds of thousands of hectares. This morning, 24 fires were listed as still out of control.
As a father, I am particularly saddened to hear the heartbreaking stories of families torn apart by these fires—of parents surviving and their children perishing, of children surviving and their parents being lost. It is the worst of the worst that our sunburnt country can bring. It is a disaster which is difficult for most of us to comprehend. Yet even as we work through the event and grapple with the catastrophic consequences, we can and should take a moment to give our thoughts and prayers to those affected and our thanks to those who assisted.
I would like to take a moment of special reflection for the farmers and their families who have seen their lives, livestock and livelihoods ripped away this weekend. Workers on the land and the businesses that support them form an important part of the fabric of our nation. Farmers hold a special place in the psyche of Australians as a foundation of our culture and our identity as well as being bedrock of our development as a nation. To see so many of these farming communities devastated by a single event, to see so many farms obliterated and so many futures destroyed in a day, is heartbreaking for the state and the nation.
As we recognise the enormous losses of this event, I would also like to recognise the fortitude of all those who fought against those losses. To the firefighters who acted with such extraordinary selflessness and exceptional courage—once again, the people of this nation stand in your debt as you stand fast against the most fearsome adversary we could possibly imagine. To volunteer emergency services personnel—our gratitude may never be enough to fully recognise your contribution. To the hundreds and thousands who offered shelter and support to the homeless, who provided drinks and refreshment to the weary, who gave support and encouragement to the exhausted, who gave hope to those who had seen their lives engulfed in flames—our deepest, heartfelt thanks. To the police officers, including the members of the AFP from Canberra, many of whom now have the unenviable task of sifting through charred ruins—we thank you for your dedication and service.
For us as Canberrans, this latest tragedy brings back vivid memories of the 2003 firestorm. We are reminded of the devastation we dealt with just six years ago. We can therefore empathise with Victorians—not as a city that is removed from the hazards of fire but from a position where we have seen just how quickly fire can transform lives utterly and completely.
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