House debates

Thursday, 9 February 2012

Adjournment

Victorian Bushfires

12:38 pm

Photo of Tony SmithTony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Deputy Chairman , Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | | Hansard source

In his first inaugural address, former United States President Abraham Lincoln spoke of the 'mystic chords of memory' that bind communities together. Those magic strands of reminiscence were interwoven this past weekend in my electorate of Casey as hundreds of people assembled to mark one of Australia's worst natural disasters in living memory.

Last weekend a group of Yarra Valley residents organised a Black Saturday remembrance cruise to mark the third anniversary of the inferno that claimed 173 Victorian lives. Two of my constituents, Stacey and Troy Kinsmore, run a classic car restoration business in Lilydale. On that horrible day in 2009 they lost two very close friends, Kate Ansett and Steve Fisher.

Stacey and Troy came up with an idea that would express both their passion and their grief. The plan was simple: on the closest Saturday to the anniversary of Black Saturday, a convoy of cars and motorcycles would make its way through the Yarra Valley communities which were ravaged by the fires. This past weekend I joined the convoy of over 400 vehicles that set out from Lilydale, along the Maroondah Highway. With our headlights switched on as a mark of respect, we travelled onto the Melba Highway, through Yarra Glen, Dixons Creek and Steels Creek and then turned right through Toolangi and Chum Creek to Healesville, following the scorched earth path that burned through our communities and our hearts 1,092 days earlier. All along the way, local residents assembled by the roadside. Of course, more than a few tears were shed. By six o'clock the remembrance cruise had assembled in Healesville, where participating cars and bikes were on display. Stacey's sister Wendy Bennett recited a lovely poem. Yarra Ranges Councillor Jeanette McRae then called for a moment's silence and read the names of each of the 12 locals who perished that horrible day.

The events of Black Saturday will be forever etched in all of our minds. I remember watching from my balcony at Chirnside Park that afternoon as the massive mushroom of smoke gathered over Kinglake to the north-west as gale-force winds swept the flames into the Yarra Valley, with embers landing like meteors and then consuming homes and destroying lives. It was both frightening and sobering. The scope of this catastrophe served as a reminder of the powerful wrath of nature.

But the fires and their aftermath of course also showcased the triumph of courage and spirit, as we know—the triumph of basic human decency that has been so abundant throughout the Yarra Valley. It was on display as the inferno raged when firefighters, police and ordinary citizens put life and limb at risk to save not only their neighbours and their friends but also to rescue those they had never met. It was on display in the aftermath as well, as entire communities came together to relieve, rebuild and remember. Perhaps this was best exemplified by the relief centre at Yarra Glen that was organised spontaneously by local residents and served as a vital hub for the community.

I had the opportunity to engage in a bit of quiet reflection on the drive and, as the soft summer afternoon light slowly faded to dusk, I was reminded of Catholic philosopher Dorothy Day, who said, 'We can throw a pebble in a pond and be confident that its ever-widening circle will reach all around the world.' Through the Black Saturday remembrance cruise, Stacey Kinsmore threw a pebble into a pond hoping for a ripple—but she generated a wave. Last weekend's cruise did not limit itself solely to repairing the soul and the spirit; it had a tangible aspect as well. Participants raised close to $10,000 for the Healesville Country Fire Authority.

Stacey Kinsmore was overwhelmed by the success of the cruise, and rightly so. The response to her appeal for this event was indeed overwhelming, with hundreds of people answering the call to reflect, remember and rededicate. I want to extend my congratulations to her; to Troy, her husband; to her friend Jodie, who I met; to her sister Wendy who participated and to her other friends who helped so much. Congratulations also to the Rivendell group who conducted a ceremonial tree-planting and reflective walk around the new Healesville labyrinth; the Rocky Road Choir, the famous, fantastic fixture of Healesville, who sang as participants walked; to Bill and his crew from the CFA who did so much on the day to provide parking, order and, of course, the sausage sizzle; and to my other council representatives, Tim Heenan and Len Cox. (Time expired)