Black Christmas

[wilgk]

AS some of you may know from the news, Christmas Day in Australia saw bushfires fires hit the Otway ranges and townships along the Great Ocean Road.
This road and villages along it are a popular tourist destination for locals and Interstate and International guests.
The road snakes along the coast & starts from Torquay (near me).



The area was hit hard by the Ash Wednesday fires back in 1984, now it was our turn again.
The amazing thing is that this time on Christmas Day the fire reached the coast, meaning you would have had to be actually in the sea to escape in parts.



We ventured down around the 10th of Jan to stay for a weekend in the town that had previously been evacuated.



It is amazing to see how 1 house can be burnt and the one next door can be spared.

The other very sad news from 'Black Christmas' is my dearest friend whom I had been supporting for some years, passed away after her struggle with cancer.
The funeral was on January 6th and I had the honour of being involved in the planning of the service and the wake.
She was told in October that its pallaitive care time, but the inevitability of the outcome didn't lessen the grief and despair.
She was a much loved lady with over 500 people attending the service to pay their respects and support her family.
The photo for the order of service was one of mine of her and her family before a wedding, when she was well (2010-11 I think)
I moved her into a new background which was from a photo I took of her daughter before the Debutante ball 2015 and in it she is home.



I hope I will again feel like getting back into my photography and posting and commenting for others here.

[JBW]

Prayers.

[DEAN01]

Wonderful tribute for your friend, Kay.

[NorthernFocus]

My goodness, Kay. That was indeed a dark time. Sorry for your loss. Your friend's suffering is over.

We were just down on the Road in November. I can't imagine those lovely little towns and Otway forest being burned.

[wilgk]

Prayers.

Thank you Brian

[wilgk]

Wonderful tribute for your friend, Kay.

Thank you Dean

[wilgk]

My goodness, Kay. That was indeed a dark time. Sorry for your loss. Your friend's suffering is over.

We were just down on the Road in November. I can't imagine those lovely little towns and Otway forest being burned.

Thank you Dan,
The areas hardest hit were between Lorne & Apollo Bay.
Wye River is where the photos here are from.
Lorne was evacuated which was a major event, as it is the biggest tourist spot along the road.

[Shadowman]

Nice gesture for your friend, nicely captured and processed.

A few years ago, the concept of brush fires anywhere in the world was just an event seen or read about through the media, never experienced the actual but did see the aftermath when visiting the Blue Mountain region of Australia. Seeing the scorched forest, the smell of carbon, and the heat of summer really sticks with you, however it was an experience for me only a fraction of what the actual event must have felt like.

[mknittle]

Our prayers to all for their loss. A very nice tribute to your friend Kay.

[IzzieK]

I feel for her...and for her family and friends too who misses her lots.

As for your shots, thank you for the info. If #3 is in Wye River, I used to have a place there a long time ago. Sold it before I moved here to the US.

P.S. Mr. and Mrs. UCCI told me of the fire over there at the Great Ocean Road. I thought he said somewhere near Ballarat...and sent me a pix of the smoke as seen from their backyard. Talked to my boys about the fire at Skype last Christmas and they said it was too far away from them. Read the article about the fire too hence I knew where it was.

[Mike Buckley]

Such a touching post on so many levels. You did well on all counts. Wishing you a 2016 without so much sadness!

[wilgk]

Nice gesture for your friend, nicely captured and processed.

A few years ago, the concept of brush fires anywhere in the world was just an event seen or read about through the media, never experienced the actual but did see the aftermath when visiting the Blue Mountain region of Australia. Seeing the scorched forest, the smell of carbon, and the heat of summer really sticks with you, however it was an experience for me only a fraction of what the actual event must have felt like.

Thank you John

[wilgk]

Our prayers to all for their loss. A very nice tribute to your friend Kay.

Thank you Mark

[wilgk]

I feel for her...and for her family and friends too who misses her lots.

As for your shots, thank you for the info. If #3 is in Wye River, I used to have a place there a long time ago. Sold it before I moved here to the US.

P.S. Mr. and Mrs. UCCI told me of the fire over there at the Great Ocean Road. I thought he said somewhere near Ballarat...and sent me a pix of the smoke as seen from their backyard. Talked to my boys about the fire at Skype last Christmas and they said it was too far away from them. Read the article about the fire too hence I knew where it was.

Thank you Izzie
There were fires near Ballarat just prior to Christmas.
Our school has a farm campus there, all the stock & buidlngs and of course people were safe, but a huge job replacing fences. My husband joined the volunteers on duty & returned home completely covered in black dust/dirt.

[wilgk]

Such a touching post on so many levels. You did well on all counts. Wishing you a 2016 without so much sadness!

Thank you Mike, I hope so too.

[John 2]

It's difficult to add to what has already been said Kay except that in life, you sometimes hear of/read about situations that put your own life into perspective. Situations like these and the floods that some in the UK have suffered this Winter can help you recognise that a relatively uneventful life perhaps isn't such a bad thing. From what you say though and from what we have seen here, there is a positive. In this internet and social media world, it has brought communities together in a way that hadn't existed before. I hope that 2016 brings a happier time.

[wilgk]

Thank you John,
Nice thoughts indeed.