02/03/2009 An Interesting Anniversary

For anyone hanging out for more on the mind-map, afraid you'll have to wait a bit....

Today is our 35th wedding anniversary - pretty damn good effort I reckon, although once again it's sort of snuck up on us a bit. It has a habit of doing that.

I remembered on Friday that it was coming up and then Friday's events intervened and it got lost until late yesterday evening, when a brief discussion with Ros & Cait between planning for the following on the DSE (Dept of Sustainability and Environment) website, I checked and discovered that indeed it was.

Excellent effort that it may be, ensuring an appropriate re-location in the face of the likely fire-weather over the next few days takes a higher priority.

Community Safety Message - Extreme weather threat

Victorians will face severe storm and fire weather on Monday night, Tuesday and Wednesday, consisting of extremely high winds across the whole of the state. This will be compounded by on-going fires and dry conditions.

Increasing temperatures and strong northerly winds are predicted for Monday night. The extreme conditions will continue on Tuesday and into Wednesday, with the onset of high winds as part of a south-westerly weather change.

Community preparation
Bob Cameron, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, and the state’s emergency services chiefs, warn that everyone, right across the state, needs to be prepared.

• Closely monitor updates on ABC radio, work closely with the emergency services over coming days to protect life and property, keep an eye out for your neighbours and check on the elderly and people with special needs.
  
  
• The CFA has declared a day of total fire ban for the whole state of Victoria on Monday 3 March, and most likely for Tuesday 4 March.
  
  
• Stay vigilant and have a well-practised fire plan. With the weather conditions starting on Monday night, consider activating your fire plan, including the decision to leave, on Monday, not Tuesday, when it could be too late.
  
  
• If your decision is to leave, you should contact a friend or relative and on arrival contact Red Cross to register your new address on 1800 727 077. You should aim to arrive at your destination during daylight hours on Monday.
  
  
• DSE advises that people living in the general areas of the Upper Yarra Valley and between Woods Point and Jamieson should be on high alert over coming days.
  
  
• Due to the strong winds, need to ensure that items around your property such as outdoor furniture and playground equipment are secured.
  
  
• Do not park or shelter under trees, and only contact VICSES on 132 500 when there is a need for assistance to access or leave property. VICSES is not a home maintenance service and residents should only call 132 500 when essential assistance is needed to make their property safe.
  
  
• Purchase a battery operated radio and torch, and tune to ABC Radio for updates and alerts.
  
  
• Victoria also faces potential localised and regional power disruptions that may impact home communications and lighting. These disruptions may also affect public transport with road, train, and pedestrian crossings impacted, so keep your travel to a minimum.
  
  
• Driving in fire affected areas is extremely dangerous and should be avoided. Safety must be the utmost consideration and when on the road please be patient and give way to emergency services vehicles.
  
  
• Schools across the state are assessing their risk plans and some may close as they did on Friday 27 February.

For further information go to www.vic.gov.au, or call 1800 240 667 – Victorian Bushfire and Storm Information Line (VBIL)

As I may have mentioned, we are currently staying in Nth Warrandyte with daughter Cait, her husband Nicco and children Angus 6 and Phoebe 3. The area is a potential fire-trap so we have arranged to stay with son Ben & partner Ema in Fitzroy until the weather abates somewhat and becomes only potentially dangerous and consequently safe to return.

We have also arranged for Lena, Guilia and Isobel who have been staying with Mick and Anne to temporarily relocate to Ros' sister Leonie in a suburb the name of which escapes me. Leonie will also have our two additional dogs Angus(dog) and Meggie. She already has Fergal and will also house Cait's dog Tyson. If you are keeping track of this then let me confuse you by jumping back to last Wednesday.

25/02/09 Wednesday- Went with Cait to a recruitment meeting at Nth Warrandyte CFA. They'd planned the meeting months ago and were just a little overwhelmed by the response from the local citizens who filled the brigade training room to capacity - there was standing room only. An excellent turnout and even if more than half don't maintain their interest beyond the current fire season, they'll still have 20 odd people to recruit from for both operational and non-operational roles. Acknowledging the different demographic, it would be wonderful if St Andrews could attract that sort of interest.

Cait had planned to offer her services as Treasurer but nearly got crushed in the rush! She introduced me to one of her friends Sean a CFA member who runs his own landscaping business and had offered to assist with any clearing up work at 2335. He has definitely been added to the list! On hearing that I was looking for a generator he gave me a company and contact name and said they were a really helpful bunch.

Got a pager message on Wed night from Captain Helen saying St Andrews were going back to normal operations from Friday and requesting crew availability. Decided to wait for a day to see how she went as there had seemed to be plenty of St Andrews folk around and I was some 20mins away in N Warrandyte .. a bit too far even to get on the second truck.

26/02/09 Thursday - Went to work - nothing strange about that, been doing it since the previous Wednesday week - although it is fair to say that work has ceased to have a great deal of meaning when compared to life's other recent and ongoing events. Still managed to chase a few things up, have a couple of phone conference and generally stayed reasonably focused on the jobs at hand. Also managed to get in a call to the generator and kit barn guys. Have I mentioned the kit barn guys before? We'll see.

27/02/09 Had Friday off as A/L so went to see the generator people who were extremely helpful and apart from engaging in a prolonged and interesting multi-way bushfire related conversation with a St Andrews CFA colleage who I discovered was working there when I wandered in the doorway, and the generator guys, one of whom had recently equipped himself with all the appropriate defensive gear and was now wondering what his exposures were. If nothing else the events of 07/02 have certainly brought some serious consideration of capability, preparedness and the value of ensuring that one's plan is realistic for the conditions likely to be encountered. It's an absolute shame that it takes disaster and death to focus peoples mind's on the really important stuff like our common humanity.

And yep - I also bought the recommended generator which I'll pick up in a week or two when we have the caravan.

I'd previously been talking to a chap in the Health dept at Nillumbik Council and offered to show him the MindManager software I use, that I thought may be useful in planning the Council's recovery effort which from my limited perspective seemed to be a little haphazard and a tad uncoordinated. Met with him on Friday and showed him the map - remember the map, you knew I'd get around to it eventually didn't you.

He seemed reasonably impressed and offered to pass my details on to the fellow who was coordinating the Council's revovery effort, as I'd suggested that I had some relevant experience and would like to get actively involved. He also hoped to have the Health Dept's Recovery Strategy documented by COB on Friday. Will follow both of these items up later today.

Headed off to St Andrews after stopping in Hurstbridge to ask the bank to order me yet another card that I'd forgotten I no longer had and collect my new internet banking security token. Finally arrived at StA and checked the mail before going down to the brigade. Mail box was chokkers including a registered parcel which turned out to be a teapot and two cups from our dear friend Judy in Perth. Such wonderful memories and generosity!

Down to to the brigade to chew the fat a bit and then head off to the farm and water the trees and garden and see if the ducks had come back to the dam. We'd locked the shed and said our goodbyes and I'd just buckled up my set belt when the pager went off. A stump fire adjacent to the Diamond Valley winery.

A few of the other guys arrived and with a full crew we rolled Tanker-1. It was a reasonably sized tree which fell down when threatened with a chainsaw, so it was cut up and suitably doused in A-Class foam. Hoses made up and back to the station where I was somewhat surprised to be told by one of the officers that I wasn't supposed to be turning out. I'm going to draw a veil over the issues behind this until I have clarity over my official status, but needless to say I was not and remain an unhappy little firefighter.

28/02 -01/03 Ros and I spent a very pleasant weekend with my sailing partner and his wife at Tecoma which concluded with an excellent lunch at Lady Chatterley's Restaurant at Cloudehill. Even managed to get a bit of work done on the boat - a Cole 23 yacht named - La Pirogue.

Back at Cait's I had just written a few words of todays blog when we received a call from Perth. It was our friend Sue to say they would be in Melbourne in a couple of weeks and could we catch up. We all rolled around the floor after I drolly commented that unfortunately we wouldn't be able to offer them even floor space because the bloody thing had burned down. It will be great to catch up.

Came back to the blog and decided to have a quick look at the fire weather because Cait had heard that Tuesday was going to be bad. It seems, as you too are now aware, that she was correct and once again we have planned to leave our little refuge and move even further away to the safety of Fitzroy.

We'll be gone as soon as Angas finishes school about 3:30 or sooner if the weather looks to be deteriorating as it may well.

May be we'll get to the map later today - Cheers - Q