Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to mark a sombre chapter in the history of the lower mid-north of South Australia. On 25 November 2015, just after midday, a single spark near Pinery unleashed a vicious grassfire, changing the landscape and many lives forever. In a matter of hours, a 50 kilometre trail of devastation carved through 80,000 hectares. We saw 91 homes reduced to ash. We saw the backbone of our local economy, critical machinery, unharvested grain, and over 70,000 head of livestock and poultry lost to the flames. While structures can be rebuilt and machinery replaced, some things will never be the same.

I pause to remember the two lives lost that day, Janet Hughes and Alan Tiller. To their families, our community has not forgotten you and we never will. We also acknowledge the 90 people hospitalised and those who carry the physical and emotional scars of that terrifying afternoon. However, amidst the darkness there was light. We owe a debt of gratitude to 1,700 firefighters from the CFS and MFS who surged towards the danger. Your courage saved lives.

As the heat returns and we face another summer, the greatest way to honour those we lost and thank those who fought is to be prepared. Please, do not be complacent. Have a bushfire action plan. Talk to your family. Know when to leave. Let's honour 2015 by keeping each other safe today.

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