FIRE
Of the Four Elements, fire seems to be our worst adversary but our best servant. Fire brings fear and a release of extreme emotion – based on the aggressive reds and oranges that are associated with it. Bushfires will always be our constant companions – but they do lead eventually to renewal of the landscapes they demolish and the lives they shatter. Living in Powelltown in the early 1950’s and having Fire Drills in the town’s ‘Dug Out’ ( a large underground ‘bunker’) tends to condition one’s attitude for a long time. Bush fires at night with their associated sounds are my greatest fear. In later years we practically lost our house ( and lives ?) to fire at Kongwak but were saved in the middle of the night by one of our cats (Melbourne ‘Sun” Wed. Aug. 25 1971). I will never forget the RED summer of 1962/3 in the Yarra Valley nor the ‘sunset’ at 3.00 p.m. on Feb 13th. 1983 which has been scorched into our memories as ‘Ash Wednesday’. Even now, and as recent as 1997 demonstrated, we live under the ‘shadow’ of Mount Dandenong which has the reputation as one of the most Bushfire prone areas in the world.