Memories of the Victorian bushfire tragedy linger for the 87 Canobolas Rural Fire Service (RFS) staff and volunteers who suddenly found themselves in the middle of the nation’s worst peacetime disaster.

Canobolas RFS zone manager David Hoadley arrived in Victoria several days after Black Saturday and was placed in command of an incident management team near the devastated communities of Kinglake, Kinglake West and Whittlesea.

Several times he found himself standing on the same streets where people died defending their homes or fleeing the flames.

Forty-six people died in the area.

“You had to see it to get an appreciation of the devastation,” Mr Hoadley said yesterday.

“I remember being at Whittlesea Showground and I met a guy who I think was in charge of the show society.

“He indicated he had seven people he was aware of that had been killed, his neighbours and close friends.

“It was very difficult. This guy was totally tied up in the relief effort and was throwing all his time and mind into that activity as a way of coping with the devastation, of coping with what he had experienced.”

While Mr Hoadley coordinated the NSW-based team, Orange North West RFS brigade captain Peter Jarick was nearby carrying out back-burning operations with fellow volunteers.

Mr Jarick was spared the ordeal of having to enter the fire- ravaged zones.

“We didn’t really want to have to do that, we’d seen enough of it on television,” he said.

“The 12 months have gone extremely quickly and I’m proud we went because this is where you learn things, doing these bigger fires.”

Molong Post Office postmaster David Jones travelled to Victoria twice, first as a strike team leader responsible for a local crew of about 50 personnel and on the second occasion as a crew leader.

“The public may not always be aware that after the first major fire event there is still a huge amount of work to do afterwards,” he said.

“The fires were still burning some three or four weeks later.

“Once we had finished we drove through some of the affected communities.

“For me, it was a case of man over nature. We have to remember sometimes nature just has the upper hand I guess.”

The experience has taught all three firefighters valuable lessons that will go some way to help avoid a similar disaster occurring in this area.

The need for regular hazard reduction work, better building design and a plan in the event of a major bushfire are essential lessons learned from the Black Saturday experience, they said.

The Victorian fires killed 173 people, injured 414 and displaced 7562 people.

More than 2000 homes were destroyed in 78 affected townships.

bevan.shields@ruralpress.com