Tags:
Black
,
saturday
,
fire
,
anniversary
,
compassion
By ANNIKA SMETHURST
ONE year on from the tragic Bendigo fire, which destroyed more than 60 homes and claimed the life of one man, a team of enthusiastic Bendigonians is preparing to launch a book to capture the Black Saturday experience.
Following the inferno, staff from the Fire Recovery and Community Assistance Centre joined forces with local publishers to compile photos and stories to document the days and weeks following the February 7 disaster.
Raining Embers is now in the final stages of the publishing process and set to be launched on March 26. The book includes 60 first-hand accounts and more than 1700 images from February 7, 2009.
The book was fully funded through Victorian Bushfire Recovery Funds at a cost of $30,000.
Reverend Tracey Wolsely said she was inspired to create the book after hearing about similar ideas from around
Victoria.
“When I was in parish ministry in Healesville, fire survivors put together a similar book and they said it really helped them,” she said.
“We just found it was a great way to tell the story of Black Saturday, from the people themselves.
“Early on we didn’t have a huge response as a lot of people were still finding it difficult but at the right time people started to come forward and we collected a great range of stories.”
The dynamic team of John Holton, Tracey Wolsely, Maree Tonkin and Jacqui Lynch has spent the past year sifting through images and stories in an effort to retell the events of Black Saturday.
“It was quite a project to source and sort through 1700 images and page after page of stories to create this book,” Ms Lynch said.
“The book follows the natural series of events and it creates a voice of those who were there.”
The team admitted it was difficult to remain detached when speaking with contributors, as some of the content was distressing.
“It was important to listen to these people tell their story in their own time and in their
own words, free of the media,” Mr Holton said.
“It gave us a real
insight into the event.”
Survivors who lost their homes on Black Saturday will receive
a free copy of the book.
