Saved by the wind change
A JEWISH family in Coonabarabran this week recalled how their home was saved during the recent bushfires by a fortuitous change in the wind conditions.
A JEWISH family in Coonabarabran this week recalled how their home was saved during the recent bushfires by a fortuitous change in the wind conditions.
David and Tammy Samuel, together with their children Edwin and Joseph, spent five days in lockdown earlier this month, unable to open windows, doors or curtains.
The family live south of the main town and were lucky not to lose their house in the blaze.
“On that first Sunday, if the wind didn’t change directions then we could have lost our property, because the winds were big and the flames were quite extreme,” Tammy told The AJN this week.
“It was very scary because the smoke completely surrounded the house.
“We had to close all of our windows, curtains and doors and we weren’t sure if we would have to evacuate.”
Tammy, who volunteers for the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), said that she had all of her important documents packed and ready to go, but luckily the family’s home was spared.
She said the kids didn’t leave the house for five days in a row, except to attend a community information meeting on the fires.
“It wasn’t a time to play with other kids, because there were fires raging around their properties as well. Some of our friends lost their homes.
“Even while we were at the community meeting, we just didn’t know if a new fire would break out.”
The family moved from Sydney to Coonabarabran in 2003 and had their first experience with bushfires in 2006.
Tammy said volunteering at the RFS is an important contribution to the community.
“I don’t do firefighting, but I help out with the scribing because they listen to the fire trucks on the radios and need to write down what they say and what they need.”
Tammy said it’s hard for some people in Sydney to grasp the size of the fire and the amount of land that has been burnt. The fire has burnt 54,000 hectares of land, destroying 53 properties, 120 outbuildings, livestock and farm machinery.
“It would be nice if we never had to have another fire like this one,” Tammy said.
JOSHUA LEVI
The Samuel family.