From the ashes

By Tania Martin
STORIES of sadness, devastation and courage were told on Sunday as Cockatoo residents remembered the fateful day in 1983 when the Ash Wednesday bushfires ripped through the town.
On 16 February 1983, more than 100 bushfires raged across Victoria and South Australia, burning 210,000 hectares.
In Cockatoo six people died and 307 buildings were destroyed.
Now 25 years later more than 200 people have attended a commemorative service at St Lukes Church in Cockatoo to mark the anniversary of the fires.
The guest list included the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne Doctor Phillip Freier, the Governor of Victoria David de Kretser and Environment Minister Gavin Jennings.
The Reverend Peter Crawford of St Lukes Church said on the night of the fires he was preparing for the wedding of a young couple.
But he said instead of celebrating the union of the young couple, Cockatoo was faced with a double funeral.
He said the commemorative service was a time to remember those who were lost in the fires and to give thanks to those who worked tirelessly to help the community recover from the devastating fires.
Graeme Simpson, who was the Cockatoo CFA captain in 1983, said that it was important to remember the community of Australia for all its help following the fires.
Mr Simpson said all the firefighters, police and emergency service were acknowledged but that there had been a group of people that were forgotten – the Red Cross.
He said the Red Cross were a fantastic support for everyone from cooking meals to washing ash from firefighters’ eyes.
“It was a fantastic effort by a group of people and it’s about time we gave thanks,” Mr Simpson said.
Mr de Kretser said he was amazed by how quickly the bushland had regenerated over the past 25 years.
He said the commemorative service was also a time to thank the many residents who showed such courage in the face of devastation.
Environment Minister Gavin Jennings said that the Cockatoo community had shown its strength to rise above adversity in a time when they had been faced with such destruction and sadness.
“We now remind ourselves of the stories and the sadness of that fateful day in 1983,” he said.
Mr Jennings said that the community of Cockatoo should be commended for standing together and showing its courage in rising above the ashes of the bushfires.
But he said it was important for residents to remain vigilant in preparing for bushfires to avoid another tragedy.
“We must make sure that degree of human sacrifice and suffering doesn’t happen again,” Mr Jennings said.
“We must now remember, grieve and celebrate the great community spirit that came together in the face of such adversity.”