When the Victorian Black Sat Bushfires hit Saturday 7th February 2009 we artists turned to our creativity for solace.
The side effects are – recording the event, creating culture & thus History, recordning the emotional effects of the events and assisting in the grief process for all seeking healing. In this awesome Redbubble site that is on a world scale!
We created the PHOENIX APPEAL site to donate our work to raise money for the survivors – we know people will donate more if they think they’ll get something for it (Guilt donations)
But here in Redbubble writers have nothing to sell
it didn’t stop us writing though
These are my pieces written to the images others have given
( to help me cope with my inability to help any other way ):
when fire destroys all else
[had been written to “Banksia” by underdoc but image is withdrawn from view now]
Nature’s Eternal Optimism
written to the image Tambo Crossing by Darren Stones
Nature’s Repeat
written to the image After the Fire by Steven Sass
Ghost Gums Revival
written to the image Ghostly Gums by Neil Boucher
aftermath hush
written to the image Hush i by Gabryshak
why
written to the image untitled by Jessica Tremp
faith, hope, charity, courage & cheer
written to the image Suncatcher by Owlspook
to stand up and live
written to the image "Phoenix ":http://www.redbubble.com/people/phoenix-appeal... by liesbeth
until we hear the bush-birds sing
written to the image First Light by GailD
Face the Beast
written to the image River of Fire by Clive
& short story:
Bloody Good Mates!
written to the image of Gumtrees by the Water by Noeline Davies
These pieces have been turned into a collaboration with the artists – and have sold!
Watercolour Hue / Marysville View
Dear CFA Firey Mine
Thank you to the CFA Firey’s and to all the volunteers and servicemen of the areas for their bravery and sence of civil safety over their own that gave them the courage to get the job done that they had to do
Had those fires been left to burn unchecked I have no doubt in my mind that our eastern half of the state and up into NSW would have burnt out completely – such was the force and ferocity of that fire!
and had the wind changed to the Northeasterly that it is today …… Melbourne is close enough ……
Thank you for reading my words and going to see what I saw!
Chookas! xXx
liesbeth
Looks like you did a lot after all xox
adgray:
The first three and the short story were done earlier I just added them into this theme
I have to get our Phoenix Collaboration up Or will you?
That one is one of my best
Thank you my friend xXx
liesbeth
hey.. it’s your’s ..you put it up ;) xxx
adgray:
ok ok lol Shall do! …. [when I work out which button to push lol]
xXx
adgray:
Can’t yet my net connection keeps timing out while it’s loading
a new cable is going in tomorrow morning so I’ll have a go then!
just as well I write fast!
Chookas! xXx
Darren Stones
And to think we had no idea what was to occur on February 7, 2009.
Awesome writings, adgray.
Chookas!
Daz.
adgray:
It was a burn-off waiting to happen
and I kind of wished the media hadn’t gone on and on about how Sat 07-02-09 was setting up to be a perfect day for a bushfire, perhaps the arsonists wouldn’t have been so enticed! We are just thankful that the wind was sending the fire away from Melbourne, had the wind been the other direction or the fires lit on the west of the city the blaze would have been in suburbia and to the CBD before anything could have stopped it!
Thank you for reading my words and for your wonderful purchase of my collab with Anne – Dear CFA Firey Mine
My CFA Firey wasnt allowed to go – he was between brigades and there was no insurance to cover him. And I think back to 1983 and how so many people just dropped everything to go fight!
Some of our CFA guys & gals fought knowing their own homes were lost some fought after fighting for their own first.
Kudos to them all for their ultimate bravery
and to the local cops who were first to help the residents to escape death!
Chookas!
mindyaownbiznes
Thankful the wind was blowing away from melbourne not me.YOU TOOL.Kinglake resident
adgray:
hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm
a gremlin I must have hit a nerve
I am sorry if you took what I have said negatively
remember this was written during the first fortnight after the fire when everyone out here was trying to fathom what had happened and how we could best help, not to mention come to terms with it! now all that is achieved you could look back and see insensitivities, your processing is different to ours but I feel you must have misread my words
I am not happy there was a bushfire that went anywhere
I am not happy it went into the bush
I was pointing out that had this raged towards suburbia we could not have stopped it as most of the houses in suburbia would have fed it just as much as the build up of fuel in the bush
But Mr Kinglake Resident if we all minded our own business you would not have had all the money donated within days that you have had
you would not have had the extra resources of servicemen redcross helpers and yes media to ease your burden
You may call me a tool for I was
I as one of several people set up Phoenix Appeal and we have helped generate over 6 thousand dollars in a month to be sent for your aid!
The reports I wrote incapacitated to be able to do anything else helped generate the support for you from all over the world!
Perhaps the next time you lot are burnt out you would prefer us to stay out of YOUR business!
You have taken one sentence of all the thousands I have written for you and you have turned it into a negative assumption of me and my efforts to help you
I was a child when I was last in Kinglake yet I spent all my waking hours trying to help you the only way I could
Thank you for appreciating that help
thank you for showing me the true feelings you have for the charity and aid we tried to give
I feel sad for you truely sad …. you probably have lost so much that your grief is immeasurable and I respect your loss
so by all means call me a tool and dump on me if it helps!
BUT DON’T HIDE! Be Proud of being who you are!
You owe that to all those who have gone and you owe that to us for our compassion!