LM_NET: Library Media Networking
As many of you have emailed me, I will send once last report and
thank you for your interest. Also a few comments on the fires may be
of interest to some of you
Last night we had thunderstorms and 40mm (about 1 and a half inches)
of rain here in the Blue Mountains. It was not so heavy to the north
and very little to the south so while I am now restoring my treasured
possessions to the walls and plan to bring my Mother up here for her
delayed holiday on Wednesday, there are still other people facing the
fire threat.
The Blue Mountains is west of Sydney and I am in a small village of
Woodford in the mid-mountains about 65 miles from the centre of
Sydney and 2,000feet above sea level. The main town of Katoomba is
about 12 miles further west and is just over 3,000 feet. The fires
impacted on the lower and mid-mountains but did not reach the upper
mountains.
I usually have to explain where Woodford is, even in Sydney, but
after the events of last Friday this should not be necessary as there
were TV crews in my street and newspaper reporters everywhere.
Reading some of the reports even in the most reputable sources warns
me to not take too much notice of details in the news. A map on our
national television was full of errors.
Hot winds were forecast for this afternoon but it is now midday and
no sign as yet. While thunderstorms were forecast for last night, the
heavy rain was quite unexpected. I have given up trusting the weather
bureau forecasts - they seem to get worse with the years and I use to
teach elementary weather forecasting in the Geography course for year
11.
Two more helicopter cranes arrived in Sydney this morning and are
being assembled. They were slightly delayed due to snow storms in the
USA. Pity they could not have loaded the snow as well.
This will allow the one we have on loan from our southern state
Victoria to be returned. They have had cooler and wetter weather so
far but usually have hotter weather from now until March while our
weather is usually more humid. It was named Elvis because it
originally came from Memphis. It was named in the USA, not here, but
obviously we have taken the name to heart. However helicopters are
only a very useful addition to the hard work done by firefighters on
the ground.
Some kind people have asked about donations. Your embassy gave
US$25,000 and our cricketers have given much the same - their
winnings after thrashing South Africa in the matches over the last
few weeks. (Cricket is that game we love and Americans do not
understand :-). Most people are insured - the greatest tragedy is
loss of irreplaceable memories. I will be donating to the bushfire
brigades - many of them lose wages especially if they work for small
firms or run their own businesses. Others give up their holiday pay.
The law forbids them being sacked for working on the fires instead of
their usual employment.
I now have the part of my land below the garden burnt out and I have
wanted this for a number of years. I have lived here 20 years and it
was burnt once (hazard reduction) about 15 years ago. Then about 8
years ago I employed a teenager and we raked and cleared it but it is
was hard work in the high humidity of that period. Since then it has
been almost impossible to get permission to burn off in winter
because of environmental regulations. For thousands of years, the
Aboriginal people regularly burnt and the bush is adapted and
actually thrives on regular burning. A cool burn in winter may kill
some wildlife but most would escape to other areas. Few could have
escaped the fires of the last week. Another argument against hazard
reduction up here is that Winter burning also increases the pollution
levels in the city of Sydney but last week the measurements went
right off the scale when they were 10 times above safe limits.
I use to teach environmental studies and I love the Australian bush
which is why I choose to live here but feel that regular hazard
reduction around areas of habitation is necessary. It will not stop
fires but should reduce their intensity and in the long run create
less damage to the environment.
If you were one of the many who emailed me directly, please accept
this as a reply and thanks to everyone for their interest, prayers
and good wishes. I will now try to enjoy the remaining 3 weeks of our
summer school holidays including seeing Harry Potter and Lord of the
Rings.
Below is my personal signature as opposed to the work signature I
usually use with LM_NET
Brian Ralph Woodford, NSW
mailto:brianr@zeta.org.au AUSTRALIA
http://www.zeta.org.au/~brianr 'In the Beautiful
phone:61-2-47586753 Blue Mountains'
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