After the horrendous fires are extinguished the ripples will continue. Socials ripples of devastated families and ravaged town, loss of stock and wildlife, financial hardship and deep emotional scars.
Yesterday my sister evacuated from her remote home in the Snowy Mountains. Their property is home to endangered quoll (filmed by the BBC), as well as wombats, echidna and beautiful mountain birds. My heart aches for the dying wildlife, innocent victims of our lack of environmental care. The photos show the home track; on a normal day and earlier this week.
Before leaving they nailed tin sheets over the wooden verandas, left water for the animals and nailed meat from the freezer onto the quoll trees. Further south my cousins and niece are fighting fires, and my daughter returns from holiday to toxic Canberra air. Amongst all this devastation there is another tiny loss, insignificant to anyone but me.
For several months I’ve been working on a novel. I’m two-thirds into a first draft with funding help from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. The setting of this story is a road journey through regions now devastated by fire; Gippsland, Eden, Batlow, the lower Snowies … Given the catastrophic fires, horror and sadness my current storyline now seems trivial. I will need to alter the setting or indeed the whole tone of my project. But first we need to get through Saturday. We’re en route to family in Albury. Let’s hope communities across Australia are safe during the next bout of extreme weather. Thank you to our brave firies.
diannewolfer 
Heartbreaking, Dianne. I hope your family and their properties will be safe. Do you know of a wildlife rescue organisation to which we could donate please?
Thank you and sorry for my slow reply. WIRES does wonderful work https://www.wires.org.au/donate/emergency-fund or there are several wonderful small ones out there. The important time will be in the 6 months after the fires… And we need to replant koala trees if we are to save them. So sad. Stay safe xx
May your rethought version of this book contain a very strong, but subtle message for those who need to hear it Dianne xx
Thanks Jane, I have some thoughts but am still feeling creatively paralysed until rain halts this horror. Stay safe x
Hi Dianne,
Thanks for sending me your âPost. This is to advise that following a recommendation from the Western Australian Speaker, I have just purchased a copy of your book(The dog with seven names) from the on line book seller âThe Nile.â This will of course be added to my 2020 reading list.
Sorry we missed you in Hobart. It was a great week. Good luck with all your efforts.
Richard Amery
HI Richard
Thank you for your message and I hope you enjoy the new book 🙂
I was so sorry not to be with you all in Hobart. I needed to be with family, some of whom are still watching the fire app to decide whether to evacuate today (again). It’s been a sad summer for Australia.
Very best wishes until our paths cross again, Dianne