By now I am sure the majority of the western world has heard about the tragic bushfires in Victoria.

For me this has stirred an emotional pot due to us losing everything in the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983.

The Ash Wednesday bushfires were the worst fires in Australia’s history with 75 lives lost; the bushfires of this weekend are worse!

Normally www.news.com.au will report their breaking news as a story, usually at least one paragraph long, often with more information; at 14:05 on Monday, 9th February 2009 they published an article that is not even one line long.

128 dead in Victoria fires

THE death toll from Victoria’s bushfires is now 128, police say.

To me the lack of any story says more about this event that any of the other stories published so far.  The disaster that is these bushfires has reached the point where the news services have stopped trying to convey emotion; the event is too tragic to be able to successfully relay the scope of emotions being felt by the people involved, by observers and by those who cannot comprehend the scale of the situation.  They have simply resorted to publishing a single factual line.

For those that wish to donate money to the various relief funds, don’t be put off if your bank appears to only accept donations over the counter.  I contacted ANZ this morning to voice my complaint that I was not able to donate money to this worthy cause via Internet banking (it is nigh on impossible for me to get to a bank branch during the day), the person on their complaints line had been provided with a BSB and account number to enable me to make a donation, no more than 5 minutes later I had donated to the cause.  If your bank doesn’t have an online facility to donate to the cause, call them to complain, if it is still to hard then donate via the Salvation Army, Red Cross or Bendigo Bank, all of whom have online facilities for donations.

To those affected by this tragedy I am sorry I cannot do more to assist.  If I had completed my RFS training I would be in Victoria by now offering my services to help fight these fires.  I know that my money and my words will assist you to continue your life, but I also know that no matter what I do some things cannot be replaced; photos, that special place that had such meaning but no longer exists, the priceless wine collection in your cellar and most of all your friends and/or family who have perished in this fire.

To those who are in hospital with serious burns from the fire, I hope you have a speedy recovery and I hope the hospitals can minimise your pain as much as possible.  You may wish you were dead because of the extreme pain and the damage the fire has done to you, but use this as an impetus to do something with your life, get out there and help others who are in need, help people to understand the devastation of a bushfire, help make the world a better place so that things like this do not happen to other people.

To those who have lost family or friends, I am unable to say anything!  Words are inadequate! Just remember, you have other friends and/or family you can lean on; if you’re not willing to use the support they can offer, contact the Salvos or the CFA or even your local politician, they can all help you find someone to help support you!

The fall out from a bushfire is devastating, at the moment we are hearing about the loss of property and lives from the fire, in the coming months there are many things that won’t be reported; the pain of lost photos; the struggle of rebuilding a home when you’re under-insured; the pain of seeing your child realise he won’t see his best friend again; the stresses placed on marriages and the eventual deterioration of a marriage over the years until it finally ends; the lack of certainty you feel as you try to work out the long term effects of the situation on your young child; the pain of seeing your teenage child unable to cope with the devastation and their turning to alcohol and illicit drugs.  There is no solution for many of these problems, all we can do is to be there for those who need us and help then when they want help but are unable to ask.

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