Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the Black Saturday fires that took the lives of 173 men, women and children in the worst natural disaster that Australia has ever experienced. It wiped out whole communities, erasing towns from maps and destroying wildlife.
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Services were held around the country, but places like Marysville, Flowerdale and Kinglake that bore the brunt of that day’s fire-front were where most of the families and friends gathered to mourn their dead
and talk about rebuilding. A minutes silence was also observed at noon, 173 candles were lit at the Melbourne Uniting Church, wreaths were laid, 173 orange butterflies were released in Kinglake and a memorial bell unveiled at the Mechanics Institute Reserve. In Marysville, survivors returned to the oval that 12 months earlier had been their life-saving refuge from the inferno.
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On that day, gale force winds pushed the fires across country at speeds of up to 160km/h while the outdoor temperature peaked at 47°C. More than a thousand homes were destroyed, livestock wiped out and flora completely razed to the ground.
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But many survivors saw yesterday as a day to give thanks too. For the help of the firefighters, the support from charities and for donations ranging from food and clothing to caravans and temporary housing.
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A community remembers what, and who, were lost

Australia remembers Black Saturday

Minute’s silence marks first anniversary of Black Saturday

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