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Aftermath

6:42pm Thursday, 4th March 2010

In Marysville, a town wiped out by the Black Saturday bushfires that claimed 117 lives across Victoria, the burnt-out campsite of the christian ministry group ESA, has become the community’s temporary village.
“We’re glad to ‘Equip, Serve and Assist’ the Marysville community,” Ruth Close, chair of ESA, told Eternity reflecting her group’s name. “We will wait and see about rebuilding—the site can be used by the people of Marysville as long as they need it.”
Every one of their camps have gone ahead with the help of other camping organisations around Victoria.
Mobile Mission Maintenance, who were also burnt out, have continued their steel fabrication ministry at a leased factory. They plan to sell their 103-acre Whittlesea prop-erty and move into eastern Melbourne and get a “hub facility” they can share with others.
“12 months ago we were frantic, afraid and suffered loss. Today we look back and say ‘God is good” said MMM chairman Andrew Boer in a recent SMS to National Director, Tim Cranna. As Tim talks to Eternity it’s obvious in his voice it has been a tough year for MMM, but it’s also clear they feel for those who had it much tougher.
NATALIE CALDERWOOD of BCA Like the green shoots on blackened trees, survivors of last year’s Black Saturday fires are starting over but still bear pain.
“There are those who are very positive and getting on with life, there are those who are struggling and can’t make decisions, and there are a few who tend to be fairly negative in just about everything,” says minister Ernest Horth who with his wife Ida have been working since last February as part of the Anglican Bushfire Recovery Team.
One year on, the Kinglake Ranges is still a community very much in need. Rebuilding is slow and relationships are strained.
Ernest, a council member of Bush Church Aid, drives a 4x4 Subaru provided by the mission. Donations of food and working bees have aided families. A Tasmanian church donated beanies, and schoolgirls knitted throw-over blankets. “You get all that generosity and love and care and you start building up very special relationships with people,” Ernest says. “We just hope that in the midst of all that it’s the love of Christ that comes through clearly.”
ROD JAMES (Uniting Church / Assembly of Confessing Congregations) I began working from the Arthur’s Creek fire station and the relief centre at the Arthur’s Creek hall. This phase of the work consisted in making contact with fire victims as they came in, and also supporting fire-fighters and relief workers at the two centres.
During the first week I had the opportunity of going into the fire area with a CFA patrol. The area was still quite dangerous, but some people who had stayed and defended their homes were still living in them.
While the fire area remained a restricted area, I was able to obtain a wristband permit (which stayed on for six weeks) to get past the police road blocks.
In the second week we organised a ‘Gathering for Remembrance and Thanks’ on the oval at Arthur’s Creek. About 500 people came and shared a time of grief, thanksgiving and mutual encouragement.
I spoke briefly on: “When you suffer, entrust yourselves to a faithful Creator and continue to do what is good’”(1 Peter 4:19).
It has been humbling and awesome to listen to their stories of the fire, and to realise that it will take a long time to recover.
(Full report at confessing congregations.com)
DAVE GRIFFITHS in GIPPSLAND Take a trip into the Gippsland fire area and people tell you how “the fire menaced their community for weeks”, how “they were trapped with no way out”. Others tell stories of not just embers falling in their yards “but whole trees on fire.”
Christian Craft Groups joined the Country Women’s Association to provide a wide range of goods from food hampers to children’s clothing. Christmas Decorations were delivered to families with “Bushfire Chaos”.