{"id":389,"date":"2009-02-24T14:13:54","date_gmt":"2009-02-24T03:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/?p=389"},"modified":"2024-06-19T07:42:04","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T11:42:04","slug":"victorian-bush-fire-diary-february-14th-day-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theprofessionalhobo.com\/victorian-bush-fire-diary-february-14th-day-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Bushfire Diary: February 14th – DAY EIGHT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post about being amid the Australian bushfire of 2009 was originally published in 2009. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read the dramatic Day One of the Victorian Bush Fire Diary<\/a> here, and the entire collection of posts here<\/a>. <\/strong>

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Australian Bushfire Diary: Saturday, February 14th, 2009 – DAY EIGHT<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Happy Valentine\u2019s Day! Love is in the air\u2026.or is that smoke?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation at the relief donations warehouse is out of control. We receive countless truckloads of generous donations, and despite requests to the contrary, lots of it is still used. Gently used clothing is one thing; bleach stained and tattered rags are quite another. People who have lost everything from the fires may have no physical possessions, but they still have their dignity. I wonder who is really being served by some of these donations; the people receiving the goods, or the people cleaning out their closets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh yeah, and today sometime apparently we will be receiving a truck load of hay, and\u2026.cattle. Although the donor is incredibly generous and we are appreciative, I\u2019m not entirely sure it was entirely thought through. How does a farmer who has a property that is nothing but scorched ground feed the cattle? Ah well, I think these are nice problems to have in the grander scheme of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We thankfully get the day off from volunteering at the warehouse tomorrow, and decide go back to Taggerty. Tomorrow we will see our place at Rubicon, which is apparently still standing but is far from being out of the danger zone. It will be nice to gather up the last of our belongings that we would hate to lose if the place burned.

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8:30pm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a different world in Taggerty. The CFA (Country Fire Association, a brigade of volunteer fire fighters) hall, which formerly housed two lonely pumper trucks is now a hub for strike teams; a hive of constant activity. There are no less than 50 firefighters milling about when we drive by. And this is in addition to the 600 firefighters based in Alexandra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n