Up at 0600, first brief at 0700. I’m privileged (again) to be asked to lead one of the 3 teams of 4 ‘out on the ground’. We pack our ‘ute’ with kit: chainsaw, brush cutter, saws, axes, shovels and other tools for groundwork and head off to our first job. It is difficult to describe the countryside in ‘the Adelaide Hills’ at the moment. It was (is) clearly a very beautiful place, but the bushfires have made their mark. It is curious, some areas are devastated, some untouched. The scorched earth is in some areas vast, in others quite discrete. Neighbouring properties are destroyed and untouched respectively. The damage is mild or devastating. It has been a complete lottery.
The weather is incredibly changeable, last week it was in the 40s, today early 20s, cloudy and a bit of wind. It’s 5 weeks since the ‘Cudlee Creek’ fire passed through: a tree came down on a powerline, which started the fire. We do 2 jobs today and meet both owners, though their properties are uninhabitable. I’m struck by their resilience and pragmatism. Humbled in fact; they have lost everything but have a smile on their face and are looking to the future. A lesson for us all.