By JESSE GRAHAM
COMMUNITY members stopped for a minute of silence on Friday night, as residents gathered from across the Yarra Ranges to mark the fifth anniversary of Black Saturday.
Around 60 people gathered at Yarra Glen’s McKenzie Reserve on Friday 7 February, for a memorial event, five years after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires tore through the area.
Residents gathered at 6pm for a barbeque run by Yarra Glen’s Heartland Church, before Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister, Casey MP Tony Smith and Heartland Church Pastor Mike Baimbridge all made speeches.
Mr Baimbridge gave an analogy of a motorcycle crash in 1999 that left his collarbone broken for a long period of time, which has since become stronger – he said the community, in the years since the fires, had taken a similar journey.
“Some of you have been deeply affected by the trauma – you are not the same person,” he said.
“Post-trauma can be and is stressful, but can also be a time of immense growth.
“How others recover is not the benchmark for you.”
Mr Smith said that, while it had been over 1800 days since the bushfires struck the area, for some people, it’s still yesterday.
He said that the fifth anniversary gave the community an opportunity to reflect on all that had passed since the tragic event.
“It’s a time to remember, a time to reflect on the preciousness of life and its passing nature – its precariousness,” he said.
Following the speeches, community members wrote messages and names on leaves and pieces of paper, before hanging them on a tree placed next to the bushfire memorial.
Some then spread flower petals over a small bowl of water nearby, while members of the RecLink Rocky Road Choir performed for the attendees.
To mark the fifth anniversary of Black Saturday, a picture gallery comparing bushfire stricken areas in 2009 with more recent photographs, along with personal stories from the Mail’s editorial team were posted online.
For more information, visit mail.starcommunity.com.au
