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I FEEL SO HELPLESS!

I had no idea what I could do to help
Then I found that the Brilliant Darren Stone as always is totally on the bubble (ball)!

He has created this Journal Entry as a way of helping out our fire effected fellow bubblers

Please go see what you could pledge in assistance & support the other bubbler’s pledges!

ALSO the PHOENIX APPEAL has risen with This Please check that out! & add to it if you can!

STOP PRESS☼STOP PRESS☼STOP PRESS!!!!

RB JUST PROMISED THIS
RB will match our appeal donations – dollar for dollar!
WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
GO RB YOU ROCK !!!

C’mon everyone let’s sell our donated work!
CHOOKAS!!! X♥X

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This FIRESTORM was STUNNING in its FEROCIOUSNESS!!! -

It seemed to sweep through towns as if they were gunpowder on a sparkler!
To see the flames literally racing faster than a car!

We have lost people who tried to leave … but alas too late – families caught in their car as the flames engulfed it! Houses where the fire hit the back yard and before the occupants could run out the front door to the street the flames had engulfed their house! Others made it to the road with nowhere else to go & watched the fires devour all the neighbours homes….
_{the horror} .... the horror ….

I have family & friends in the lines of fire:
My brother was up Healesville helping his mates – they’re fine
My sister’s in-laws were the only house saved on one road in Chum Creek
I have family in Buln Buln possibly in the path of the Bunyip Fire
I have friends in Beechworth fighting the Mt Stanley Fire on their back boundary fence

But my kids heard about the complete raising of Marysville & burst into tears!
We had been there a month ago and stopped for lunch there to then go through the Gallery & Statue Gardens. It brought home to them just how devastating these fires can be they didn’t want to think that that place may not have survived – all that art! ... all the history ….
(& I see the project I am still trying to complete – a writing of our trip through there & the sights you could see – sights destroyed now, & I cry!)

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Ironically these fires have held up Mick’s acceptance into a brigade so here he is sitting on his hands unable to go fight like he’s been trained to because of bureaucracy – He at least can get into the official CFA site & see where the teams are deployed & what they are fighting. Sadly he also knows of the full devastation & the seemingly hopelessness & incapability of saving anything due to the speed of the fires & the lack of equipment & trained men! He could have been sent anywhere & with men he didn’t know – but as is the case with any trauma they would band together. He has his eye on the fires in Horsham & Terang too where he has friends.

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BUT WE KNEW IT WAS COMING!
We have watched our country drying out for years! We have seen the vegetation litter piling up a foot thick in the bush! We have seen the trees drying out & cracking !! We have had no decent rain for 15 years!! – our whole state is tinder dry !! Even the trees in suburbia are baked dry from the heatwave!
The Govt knew we were going to have HUGE fires when the heatwave before the thunder cool change hit!
The weathermen knew Saturday was going to be perfect for a huge firestorm High winds, High temperatures after a week of high 40s every day = the worst heatwave on record!
The only thing we had prepared was they sent Elvis down! But Elvis is now heading back to NSW as they face fires too!

Now perhaps the Govt will take our need for better equipment & more servicemen – perhaps offer payment to the trained volunteers for all their hours and hours of time & effort & especially for risking their lives for others and there are plenty of guys saving other people’s houses while their own house burns & their family are left at risk!

The horrendous part is ......

☼ MOST OF THESE FIRES WERE DELIBERATELY STARTED !!!! ☼
& sadly most likely by bored inexperienced CFA members looking for a thrill!

☼ WE NEED to DETER unnecessary fires!! ☼

☼ the penalties for arson should be the same as MURDER!! ☼
They should face charges for murdering each person the fire kills & attempted murder for any injured! If no one had died then manslaughter or attempted murder/manslaughter!

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☼ But what can I do? How can I help?
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☼ My sister & I will go give blood tomorrow – Not a lot we know but what else can people with
♣ nothing to give give? I can offer accommodation now for the next 2 weeks for any homeless
☼ & I will go through what I have and donate articles that could be helpful … but that’s about it!
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☼ The only other thing I can offer is – in here if anyone buys anything of the pledged/donated
♣ items by the other bubblers, I will offer free a signed hand written collection of my poems
☼ – any 6 of their choice – to go with the sale! [ They may be valuable one day! ]
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I feel helpless otherwise – for I have nothing to sell to donate the profits of!

Chookas to everyone effected by this Firestorm!

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