Although I'm still trying to sabotage the government's plan to destroy what's left of our forests I'm otherwise rudderless - waiting for a sign to indicate where to go next in my professional life. My health has improved a lot since I left my job but I get the feeling there is no other job to go to. Trying to protect the environment is all there is left because if we don't do that, there's no point having any plans.
A couple of weeks ago a significant wildfire lit by a rather stupid person burnt for 3 days very close to my home town. We weren't in immediate danger but we were on standby. Some people suffered a lot of damage to their properties - one of which was the longest running commune in Australia. The firies managed to save homes there but the land was decimated. The community is still reeling. I feel there may have been a loss of innocence in this once hippy town which in reality was a fire waiting to happen. The fact that it hasn't is a miracle and may have lulled some into thinking it was never going to burn. Several people who live right in town were still in denial. I was told: 'oh we were ok, we are in town so were safe'. They weren't. If fire fighters hadn't got the fire under control it could have gone right through the main street.
The community think the firies are heroes and I join them in thanking the brigades for their huge efforts. But for the last 12 months I have been inside the 'fire' issue and from where I stand, things aren't as black and white as most people want to believe. Below is a photo of the recent wildfire in our town. And below that is a government sanctioned 'controlled' 'fuel'/'hazard' reduction burn paid for by taxpayers. Spot the difference.
You're right - there is none.
We absolutely need fire fighters - there's no argument about that. I have a huge respect for people who put their lives in danger to do this work. But within fire fighting circles - from the volunteer firies to government agencies - there is a particular adversarial attitude to nature. Nature is the enemy and it is out to get us if we don't maintain control. This attitude is deep within Australian culture and it runs right through everything - from our first encounter and subsequent treatment of Aboriginal people to the ongoing trashing of our wilderness areas.
The invaders have got away lightly in the last 200 years but it's crunch time. If the result of trying to protect us from a wildfire is the same as a wildfire, the government's 'legal' burning simply adds tens of thousands of hectares of burnt bush to the real problem - which, of course, is climate collapse. If deliberate burning ever did protect us it sure doesn't now. And it's not just the tree-huggers saying that. Several very experienced fire chiefs, from the east coast to the west, have commented publicly that climate change is the cause of these 'unprecedented' events. We are now in unchartered waters and it's obvious we urgently need to rethink our strategy.
In the fire campaign I'll be promoting fast detection, rapid suppression and recovery. It's what governments will have to do all over the world. In Australia right now we have catastrophic floods on the east coast and wildfires in the west. Real money needs to be spent on mitigation and recovery now, instead of on half-baked programs that provide jobs and make the public believe the government is protecting them. There are going to be plenty of employment opportunities dealing with an ongoing series of catastrophic events. Foresty and fire agencies might as well get on board now.
I saw the shire president down the beach yesterday and she asked me how I was. I said: 'Like everyone else I guess. A bit overwhelmed with everything that's going on - from the local to the world stage'. She agreed that there were 'layers' of it. Neither of us mentioned the war. I am on the committees of 2 environmental NGOs* and COVID mandates have all but torn them apart. There are schisms in our small community that I don't think will ever be healed.
And then there's the war** - but maybe we shouldn't mention that.
*NGO - non-government organisation. NGOs can apply for funding for paid positions and programs but rely mostly on volunteers.
** "The Germans" is an episode of the BBC sitcom
Fawlty Towers in which, whilst suffering the effects of concussion, Basil Fawlty repeatedly offends his German guests. Despite warning his staff "Don't mention the war", he keeps ignoring his own advice. His insults culminate in a goose-stepping impersonation of Adolf Hitler.
https://gfycat.com/alertinfinitebordercollie-fawlty-towers
