By JESSE GRAHAM
Memorial remembers bushfire disaster and determination to recover…
THE opening of a memorial to those lost in the Black Saturday bushfires was a mark of resilience and a monument for a healing community to never forget.
More than 110 people made their way to McKenzie Reserve in Yarra Glen for the official opening of the town’s Black Saturday memorial yesterday morning (Monday).
The memorial, which was created by local artist Ernst Fries, is a specially-made monument to offer a reflective space for visitors in the lead up to the fires’ fifth anniversary.
With three large screen panels constructed from coloured, transparent glass, the memorial depicts the ferocity of the fires, the recovery after the event and the hope for the future following the disaster.
Up-lights will soon be placed around the memorial area and its shelter for each of the people who perished in the area and a hand-made plaque tells a brief story of how the tragedy unfolded.
A number of community members spoke at the memorial’s opening, including Dale Ahern, whose parents Charmian and Leigh were killed by the fires in Steels Creek.
Mr Ahern spoke about the changes to his appreciation of community, the changing family life and the change to the community attitude regarding bushfires since Black Saturday.
He said the community had been generous in welcoming to him as he returned in the aftermath of the fires and became re-established as the area recovered.
“Yes, there’s the occasional empty block, of familiar faces not here anymore, but the spirit is strong,” he said.
“While I talk particularly about the Steels Creek and Yarra Glen communities that I know, this generosity and sense of caring… has been emblematic not just of wider Victoria, but of Australia and the world in terms of the support that came in after Black Saturday.”
Mr Ahern said the memorial is a timely reminder for people around the Yarra Valley to acknowledge the beautiful place in which they live, but also to understand what it can be capable of in times of disaster.
Heartland Church Pastor Mike Baimbridge gave a speech on the day and delivered comments from Mayor Fiona McAllister, who could not attend on the day.
“I, like many of you, remember the overwhelming feeling of despair, as the enormity of what we know now as Black Saturday unfolded over the coming days,” he said.
“I understand only too well the personal nature of recovery and healing – there’s no blanket you can throw over everyone.
“This unveiling does not in any way end that journey but provides a space to sit, to reflect and to consider the enormity of what the 2009 fires meant for each of us – to contemplate what the artwork depicts as we move from the wounds and the scars that the events left us to a place of new growth, of clear skies and fresh horizons.”
Seymour MP Cindy McLeish, Parliamentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services David Southwick, Wurundjeri Elder Joy Wandin-Murphy and Deputy Mayor Maria McCarthy all spoke at the opening, which was closed by the Yarra Glen Primary School Choir which sang We Are Australian.
Friday 7 February 2014 will mark the fifth anniversary of the Black Saturday bushfires.
For more photographs, turn to page nine.
