Rappsville and Busby is only across the valley from me and seeing the smoke drifting across the valley and the glow of the fires would break your heart. It's only a small community,. blink your eyes and it's gone. Now....it's gone, burnt to the ground. Nothing left but the local pub. Over 30,000 HA burnt, dozens of wildlife gone, people's houses gone. I have never seen anything so sad in my life. It is suspected that some fucking c**t lit the ifres on purpose. If they catch the Dog, let the locals deal with them! My fellow eelsters spare a thought for these poor people, those who lost their homes, their livihood, everything. Spare a thought for the Firies, the brave men and women who are there battling these blazes, risking their lives in trying to save homes and animals. This is an Australian thing to do! We look after each other. If anyone has contact with the cluib, maybe suggest some of the lads to come up here and maybe help out in supporting this community, just to make a child's day better, maybe hand out a few signed footy jumpers or donate food? We need the support our fellow Aussies!
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Horrible what happened. I could see the fire flaring on Tuesday and had no idea that was going on. Poor buggers.
I can never understand how people can deliberately light fires in dense bush areas, one of the Northern Tablelands fires has been reported as being the result of two children playing with matches, the oldest being 10, what sort of children, and dare I say parents of them are?????? We have matches in the house but all are up high in cupboard and out of reach from grandkids.
These people who light fires have no regard for others, for the damage they do, the cost they inflict on families and communities, the cost risks that home owners hae to take with increased insurance policies, and probable in areas such as Rappville and the high density of forests they would have to pay extra anyway. As you mention also Parramaniac what of the volounteers and family members who fight to save homes and bushland and are in constant danger of their lifes???
I read where some who lost their homes did not have insurance, they have their lifes though but what affect does it have emotionally on them?
If fires are deliberately lit and I don't care whether children or adults there needs to be enough laws out there that can say the perpetrators face more than a smack on the wrist with a feather, for the children how do we find a just punishment to make them understand what they have done, but for adults, stiff and real jail sentences should be mandatory.. If a person is killed or dies as a result of a deliberately lit bushfire, at least a manslaughter charge or murder should be called on them.
Is that too tough? for me no! no doubt there will be those who disagree but I have also witnessed the result of bush fires and the devestation as a result of them.
Its not just the cost to those directly affected either, but I saw a photo of a section of the North Coast Rail line what is over a causeway that has been burnt out, with most of the sleepers burnt out, the two rail tracks, which are rated at 63Kg per strength for specific metric distance show them bowed outwards by at least 1 metre on the burnt out section, modern rail does not do that unless its the result of extreme heat that expands the rails length until it finds a weakish point, and it has to be very hot indeed, furnace like temps.
The whole section of that line that is affected along possibly with the causeway piers will need replacing and it will be some time before the Line to Brisbane is opened again. What cost does that put on the government and us as taxpayers in one way or another.
It makes me want to puke.
FYI it’s Rappville, mate.
Anyway, I supervise a few workers who were resourced on the fire whilst I keep normal duties moving along. One of the men I supervise phoned me yesterday morning in a very anxious state and this bloke is generally laid back. He went on to tell me that he was assigned to entering homes and telling people to leave immediately. Many refused and stayed to protect their homes, but most lost them. He also went on to say that there will most likely be fatalities, particularly at a couple he visited.
This Fire season has been the worst I have ever seen. I’ve been working in bush only kilometres from the Bees Nest fire having to radio through to HQ to monitor the movement of the fire and breathing in smoke now for weeks.
Praying for rain...
In all my years, and that's over forty, living up here I have never ever seen anything like this. It is so heart breaking. My friend told me that a few of her RFS friends lost their houses and couldn't save them but saved others. I hope the NSW and the Federal Govts donate money instead of sitting their fat arses. When we had the floods up, fking Turnbull turned around and gave a measely thousand dollars per family then turned around and said 'oh, by the way, you gotta pay that back.' We need stricter laws about assholes that goes out and lit fires just for the hell of it. Twenty years in gaol, no parole, and have them squealing like pigs in the cells.
The $1000.00 offer has again been made accordin to the midday news, as an immediate payment, how many of the parrotts in charge have been up there? Joyce was seen announcing some new dam projects one for Tenterfield and another one elsewhere.
Brissy, yes the Richards sawmill is totally gone.
A big contractor for us, and a long term contractor.
Gone.
Grunts, how many saw mills are left up that way these days, by photo's and news I saw last night it was a reasonable sized mill, and its closure would affect a heck of a lot of people there. Thing would be that to rebuild and start again would not be cheap, and depend on insurance also how hard the owners have been personally affected by the devastation.
On the various news last night the fire controllers and police investigations are of the belief that the fire was started by arsonists. If that ends up being correct and they find the mongrels, then they ought to be locked up for live, on account of the elderly couple whose bodies were found in their burnt out home. I said previously that I see it as murder and have no reason to alter that opinion either. It would have been a horrible death I would believe. My thoughts and prayers are for their families as they are with all who are affected by this terrible act.
Brissy there was a fire last year I think at Tarthra. The fires there were due to the local Greens council stopping back burning to reduce the fuel load
I live on the Central Coast and we have a very Green local council. Each morning I go for a walk around the lake. The green volunteers are attacking the introduced weeds. This is a good thing.
However what is not a good thing is that instead of taking away the weeds they pile them up in situ to decompose. I used to do this when I was a kid. I called them Bonfires.
If there is ever a fire around Tuggerah lake it will go up like an inferno
To suggest the Tathra inferno was caused by Bega Council not back burning sufficiently borders on slander. More like 100 km Westerlies that created a firestorm that jumped the Bega river and had Tathra at it's mercy. I live in the area, get your facts right before throwing blame at people or organisations
Brissy of course there's always more that could have been done.The Sapphire Coast is surrounded by Nat. Parks and dense forests almost impossible to maintain to safe standards. Also that day was akin to the Black Saturday event in Victoria, a true holocaust that showed Mother Nature at her meanest.
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