Jan 18 2003 Mt Taylor

One thing I also remember was how the Mountain glowed and kept burning and smouldering for days afterwards – and you could see this very clearly at night because we had no power or lights in Pearce to obscure it!! It really was very Mt Doom and Mordor like at night ..

I live in Weston Creek and I wasn’t here for the fires… alot of my friends lost their homes though. My family and I were in Sydney and had no idea about what was going on, we knew there were fires but thats about it.

I nearly stayed home alone that weekend, that would have been interesting. I havent seen a proper video of it until now – scary stuff.

I filmed that from my house which is not too far from Village Creek Primary school in Kambah. That’s my voice, and my kids voices on the start of the video.

I’m a little surprised it’s been put on YouTube but it’s been available on a few sites including ScanACT, mirror.aarnet.edu.au and 2600 Australia since then and was linked to by the ABC shortly after the fires.

Yep Danman it really did suck! Luckily the neigbours across the road had a gnerator when the power was totally off and then let us use their washing machine and kept sending over thermoses of hot water when their power came back on. Still had to shower in at work though.

We had to camp inside our house for about a week with no electricity – Jennybel75 – you were on the same side of the road as me – didnt it suck that after like 2 days across the road had electricity and we still had to wait about another 3 days.

I was living in Pearce at the time, right near the top, so I really appreciate you putting this footage out there on the web. The wind was hoffific and kept blowing glowing embers onto our rooves.

They reckon that it is because us Mt. Taylor residents are so used to fires on the Pearce side that we got away with so little house loss despite the blaze.

WE were organised, generally prepared for fire anyway, and most importantly helped each other out (connecting hoses, bucket chains, protecting neighbours properties that weren’t there…). We lost our power and lights etc for days afterwards – and yes it did stink from the smoke – every house! The sught and smell of bush smoke still triggers memories of Mt. Doom (I mean Taylor!)

xox

I was living at 33 Devonport at the time

I was at 46. I remember watching some people helping the oldies out before the police evacuated us. I know what you mean about saving them, yes it was the right thing to do, but was it the best thing to do? Very tough question.

Also know what you mean about the vid. I think it’s partly because we were there and it still seems a somewhat unbelievable thing to have happened. It helps us confirm that, yes, it really did happen.

I think the PTSD affects a lot of us. Heck, I don’t even go on the ‘Earthquake Simulator’ at questacon because the warning siren still gives me chills.

As for the sight/smell of smoke, that still triggers me too.

Probably didn’t help I was(am) suffering PTSD for another reason when the fires hit. Issues? I’ve got Leather bound Volumes.

I was living at 33 Devonport at the time – my friends wife and I were saving some old timers – helping them out of their house and we could hear her homebrews in their tin shed exploding – funny thing was they thought we were there to steal her homebrews – you could smell them cooking.

Highlight was elvis waterbombing a few houses in teh street – though was just putting out the fire – the houses were beyond saving by then.

Post fires I was constantly questioning wether or not I/We did the right thing – saving the oldies – everything they had was burnt in the fires – sometimes I still think fate would have been kinder if they went as well – because their lives seemed pretty empty when everything they own has gone up in smoke – with no insurance….

I still see myself looking around at the desolation in slow motion – sure I had a brave face – but when I rang my mother later that night I was a bubbling mess of emotion..

yet I still look at the images and video – disturbing as it is…. I dont know why…

Sorry folks, program had collapsed, it is back up and running now.

Cheers…