AFTERMATH: Belgrave resident Sean Godley’s home was the victim of a fallen gum tree after wild winds hit the Dandenong Ranges last week.By SHAUN INGUANZO
COINCIDENCE has saved the life of a Belgrave man after a gum tree crashed through his home last week.
Wild winds of more than 100 km/h sent a gum tree plummeting through the house of Belgrave resident Sean Godley.
It demolished onethird of his twostorey house.
The impact of the tree centred on Mr Godley’s bedroom, but luckily he had fallen asleep on his sofa while watching television in the part of his house left standing.
Mr Godley’s neighbour, Jett Prout, was barely awake at 5.35am last Tuesday when she heard loud cracking sounds.
“I heard cracking sounds you usually associate with a branch falling, except louder,” she said
“It kept going and I realised it was bigger than just a branch.”
Mrs Prout initially feared that a tree was falling directly towards her bedroom.
“I got up, got my slippers on and wrapped a doona around myself.”
Mrs Prout could do nothing but hope that her home’s stable structure would help protect her.
But the loud cracking, which lasted 20 seconds, belonged to a tree falling in the opposite direction, straight on to Mr Godley’s house.
“I got up and looked out and hunted around (after it hit),” Mrs Prout said.
“I could see lights coming on around the street, but when I did not see Sean’s light come on and I saw a torch, I got dressed and ran down to see if he was OK.”
Mrs Prout then called out to see if Mr Godley was safe, and he answered immediately that he was fine.
She described Mr Godley, who was unavailable for comment, as a ‘very happy man’ despite losing a third of his house to the tree.
“We were walking around looking at the front of his house… he was a very happy man because his animals were OK, his wife (overseas on business) was not in there and he was not hurt.”
Mrs Prout said Mr Godley did not realise until he surveyed the house that he could have been crushed to death if he had been in bed.
The pair then contacted the State Emergency Service (SES) followed by Mr Godley’s insurance agency.
Mrs Prout said the insurance agency handled the cleanup and asked Mr Godley to cancel the SES.
“The insurance guys were out very quickly,” she said, adding that the site was cleared by 8am.
Mrs Prout praised the spirit of passersby who continually offered to help, but criticised tourists who blocked the road and visited the narrow street to only stare at the wreckage.
Mrs Prout and her husband Don have lived on Glenharrow Heights Road for nine years.
They said the incident was all part of living in a natural environment.
“Yes, sometimes (I worry) but that is part of living in the hills; you either have wildlife, fresh air, or you live in the city,” Mr Prout said.
