“It was a very fearful fire. When it came over the ridge the flames and black smoke were 200 feet high. The night before at 10pm it was 34 degrees and I looked into the major valley on our property and it was burning all the way around the creek. The roar was a sound I won’t forget. I started shaking. I’ve fought a lot of fires but I thought..I’m in deep trouble. I could hear that roar back at my house, all night, knowing that it would eventually get there. The trees were exploding like bombs. When I looked down into the valley I saw 2 properties back burning and they were the only 2 that survived other than mine. 10 houses burnt to the ground. It was devastating.
They just didn’t have the people to fight the fires. The night before our place, Paddy’s Flat was declared as a state of emergency. The only other one was Bungawalbin way. The only 2 in NSW at the time. The people helping us went out that night and left us alone. No-one was there. They sent all the planes down to Sydney. I understand they were overwhelmed and overworked but we were left to burn.
I tried to try and save it. I knew I’d cleared so much around the property. The ember started mine onto a shade cloth which burnt the timber shelter over the caravan and living area.. I also lost all the timber I had milled over 20 years to build all my decking. It looks like a war zone. The trees are non existent. Not just burnt but dead. The ground fried the roots.
I jumped in my car, threw some tools, clothes and belongings in and took off. As I was going down the road I was thinking I was ok but the fire was so fast and ferocious and a flare went up. This tree exploded and exploded the tree beside it which shot a barrel of flame 20 feet in front of my car. I drove into it and got hit on the side of my face like a red hot skillet. It burnt my face and ear, my hand. It burnt through my clothes. I had blisters on my body and it didn’t burn my clothes. It was instant thousand degrees. Another 20 seconds and I’d have died. I took off down the hill and at the bottom a sharp rock went through my passenger side tyre and I had to drive 1 1/2 kms on the rim to get to a safe place to change the tyre. I looked up and saw another house burning , Jimmy was ushering the cows out, it was mayhem all around. Finally I go to change the tyre and it’s underneath all the stuff I’d saved so I threw all my stuff on the ground as fast as I could, changed the tyre and took off. I got to the top of the hill where I see people. I jump out of my car and a microphone and camera is shoved in my face by a TV crew asking how I was. Well I almost lost my life and house and I’m burnt, I need to go now. I drove into Lismore and went to the herbal apothecary. I didn’t go to the hospital. (shows me his face as I did see it when the burns were not good and there was not a scar) Thanks Trish Clough. The burn gel really worked.
It’s hard to say if I’ll ever move back. After the fire I swore I never would but now we’ve had rain and it’s coming back but I think the rain is a temporary thing. I’ve watched it get drier and drier. 5 years ago all the Macropods left. We got 40 degrees in August this year. It’s ridiculous and It’s going to get worse.
I went to NZ to stay with my brilliant musician friend and luckily he had kept some of my Master tapes I thought I had lost. We got to record a couple of my songs. That Post traumatic stress was burning me up. I couldn’t talk or function very well after the fires. It was something you never want to live through. It was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I was waking up everyday wondering if I would get through. I couldn’t sleep.
Last week I let go and I’ve been sleeping. I have some great friends and the humility shown by so many different people has left me quite humble. I’m staying in Lismore with friends and feel like life is looking up again.”