Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner was joined by a team of BlazeAid volunteers and (far left) Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch at Euroa. Photos: Billie Davern.
Photo by
Billie Davern
Orange-clad BlazeAid volunteers welcomed the Victorian Governor to their base in Euroa on Thursday, February 26.
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After a big day in the region, visiting the fire-hit Highlands community and Fowles Wines in Avenel, which lost 121ha (300 acres) of vines, Margaret Gardner spent the afternoon speaking with volunteers and listening to their experiences recovering from the Longwood blaze.
“What I came for is to hear from (the community) about how they are experiencing and dealing with the impact of this really significant crisis and the sorts of things that they are doing,” Professor Gardner said.
“So much of it is supported by the community and volunteering work — they drive a lot of their own response, but they also see the things that are affecting them.
“To actually hear that — and you hear slightly different things depending on where you are and how it’s affecting them and the sorts of issues that are paramount for them — it’s not what I can tell them, it’s what they’re telling me so I can better understand what’s happening around the state and then recognise the really fabulous work.”
While it was hearing the human stories emerging from the recent bushfires that drove Prof Gardner to the region, she was also able to see the physical impacts of the blaze on the landscape — something she said many Australians were all too familiar with.
Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner heard from volunteers about their experience assisting with recovery following the January bushfires.
Photo by
Billie Davern
“If you’ve lived as long as I have in Australia, you have seen the impact of bushfires,” she said.
“The issue here is hearing people talk about the speed at which it overtook them, and also the scale.
“This was a very large-scale set of fires here, but all of the state in January, almost all four quadrants of the state, had fires.
“This one was very significant, and so the huge impact on very large portions of the state, you get a sense of by driving through it because you just see the devastation — it’s almost beyond comprehending looking at in a drive.
“The drive just brings home to you, well, this is what it looks like after. It’s stark and it’s never-ending.”
Despite being struck by the devastation of the scorched landscape, Prof Gardner was more than impressed by the recovery efforts of the community and those present at the BlazeAid base.
“The work that’s been done effectively by CFA and emergency services, this sort of work that tries to predict, tries to support, that’s amazing,” she said.
“I want to recognise what people are doing, and then what I hear, I can take back and discuss with people who have to make policy.”
While this visit from Prof Gardner was in response to the recent bushfire events, she said she had every intention of returning to the region during one of her yearly regional tours.
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