Tuggeranong, Canberra

Canberra is the Nations Capital. The State that most remember by the fires on January 18th.
January 18th 2003, it was a day of fear, a day of destruction, a day that caused pain and havoc for all through out Canberra.

But for some the fear and the pain will never go away. This pain is not the physical kind but the emotional kind. The type of pain that will not go away by a simple trip to the doctors.
Sarah was 14 at the time the fires hit. It was 12 midday when the sky went black and all that could be seen was the red rim in the sky. This red rim was the 30-meter fire blazing just 5 kilometres from her home. For this girl it was both an exciting and fearful time in the beginning.

Sarah's mother phoned a friend and they would be staying there until the fires had stopped or had calmed down enough for them to return home. So everything was put in the car, 50 rats, 2 mice, 2 terriers, 1 greyhound, 2 rabbits, all of the bags and themselves. It was a tight fit in a Toyota Camry.

As they drove to the friends place they saw the fire raging, birds trying to get away, many falling to the ground and dying, police and fire personal trying to hold back the people who wanted a closer view of the fire that was causing so much pain and havoc.

The lights went out one by one up the road behind them. As the days went on and as the fires caused more and more destruction the more Sarah wanted it to end. She wanted it to be over to finish, she wanted to have the life she had before, but she like so many others new she couldn't, and everything had changed.

It made her so angry afterwards when people would come to visit Canberra and say they knew how bad it was, but what angered her the most was when her Aunt said that they were over reacting and it was just a small fire. This small fire wiped out 500 or so homes and 4 or 5 people.

The fear will never go away, whenever Sarah sees a spark, or if she can smell or see smoke in summer she will get scared. Sarah has overcome her fear of watching fires on the news or on TV programs but she still has to overcome being frightened when she smells or sees smoke or when she sees a spark.
Unlike so many others Sarah was lucky, yes she did lose a few pets but she didn't lose her home or her family.

Shona

Submitted: Sunday 8th February 2004, 7:44 AM

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