Dr Tony Hughes-d’ Aeth
Howard Taylor, Tree Island
S crub-rolling
Laurie Anderson The ‘ burn’ was usually done wit h neighbours j oining forces all hoping for a good st iff wind t o keep t he st umps alight , t his would save days of labour lat er in carrying, by hand, wood t o st ack around any st umps not burned t o or below ground level. I have very evocat ive memories going back t o burns aft er t ea wit h a shovel— t aking coals from big ember heaps and placing t hem on t he up wind side of st umps t hat had not caught alight . The t housand winking eyes of t he coals and t he sweet smell of t he burning st rawberry Jam t ree wood remain forever imprint ed in my mind. (1999: 7)
Albert Facey, A Fort unat e Life (1981) That burning season, Charlie had what was known as a “ good burn” . This t erm was used when t he undergrowt h, scrub and t imber burnt freely and left only t he large logs and st umps. We t hen st art ed on t he clearing. Charlie and I worked hard and long hours six days a week from t he middle of February t hrough t ho t he end of t he first week in April. During t hat period we cleared t he one hundred and t hirt y acres t hat we had chopped and burnt down during t he previous August , S ept ember and Oct ober. (88-89)
Henry S herar S oon t here was smoke t o be seen down t he bot t om end of t he chopping, followed by huge, angry, red flames wit h t errific clouds of black smoke. The wind was get t ing st ronger, but st ill we wait ed; us lads being anxious t o st art light ing. However, Dad kept a st rict wat ch on us. It was not unt il t he fire was well up on bot h sides t hat he commenced light ing. We let a few leaves t hen t ook hold of a dry bush as he did and st art ed light ing. The fire simply roared away wit h light ning speed.
Henry S herar cont. The heat was t errific and it was amazing t he way t he fire t ore along, leaping yards at a t ime … Gosh it was roaring t hrough! … The fire seemed t o set it s own draft and draw it self t owards t he cent re. It was very hot … A huge cumulus cloud formed high up in t he sky wit h t he dust and smoke. Now t here were huge spirals of dust and ash t wist ing across t he burn.
“ Half of the year was spent chopping down timber and scrub, the other half in burning off.”
Cyril Goode, ‘ The Clearer’ (1931) As from t he horizon t he world’s great lamp On a new day bright ly flashes, From out of t he t imber nearby t he camp Come sounds of heavy crashes, As t he axeman, wit h many a measure swing (That set all t he echoes waking) Does soon t o dest ruct ion t he largest bring, Wit h a crashing of limbs and breaking!
‘ The Clearer’ cont. In t he midst of S ummer t he fire will sweep, Wit h a smoke-wrack dark unfurling, Through t he clearing, and higher t he flames will leap In a vort ex madly swirling. Like a carnival cit y viewed from a height (Whose light s are a changing medley), Will t he burning t imbers appear at night , Wit h t heir embers glowing redly.
‘ The Clearer’ cont. Then for weeks, on oppressive awful days, Ere t he final st umps are level, The clearer will work in t he smoky haze Like a mediaeval devil. He t hen may canvas and blanket s fold, And hoist t o an able shoulder, And drift away t o prospect for gold, Or work on t he mines at Boulder.
James Pollard
James Pollard, The Bushland Man (1926) Rene had never before seen a bush fire. In t he shadow of t he billowing smoke of t his one she was awed, yet not afraid. It st irred and t hrilled her. Pet e looked at her once and she did not not ice his glance. He saw t hat for t he t ime being she was fascinat ed by t he scene, and he smiled wanly … even now he felt impelled t o wat ch t he working of t he forces sweeping t he forest away in smoke and flame. He had never seen a forest fire rage as t his one raged. No forest he had known in t he wheat lands had escaped t he fiery dest royer for as long as t his forest had; no ot her forest had been allowed t o become so densely crowded wit h undergrowt h.
The Bushland Man cont. They felt t he heat even here, but did not move again. Pet e saw t hat several ot her fires had st art ed among t he t rees. S oon t hese merged wit h t he great er body; and t he whole forest appeared t o be burning in mass. The roar grew louder, wilder; and many voices seemed t o t he girl and t he man t o be rushing back and fort h and swirling t hrough t he t rees. They heard t he crashings of falling branches, t he crackling of swift -scorched limbs and t wigs and foliage; now and again a muffled report as a t ree split open. Above t he t imber t he fire-voices ascended far wit h t he eddying smoke, smoke speckled wit h smut s and flakes of charcoal.
Hope? S olutions?
Recommend
More recommend
