By Kath Gannaway
PHOTOGRAPHER Sally Djurovich had an unexpected and emotional reunion with two firefighters who are the subject of one of her works in “Out of the Black” when the exhibition opened at Yering Station on 1 February.
The first and last time Ms Djurovich and Olinda CFA volunteers Chris Thomas and Sally Jefferyes had met was in the days after Black Saturday when the firefighters drove up to the Djurovich’s Dixons Creek property to help them ‘black out’ the still smouldering bush that surrounded their miraculously intact home.
Ms Djurovich, as she has since, found solace even in the horrible days just after the fire, in her photography.
One of the photos she took back in February 2009 of the two firefighters, is part of the exhibition which traces the return of the plants and the animals to their property over the past two years.
Ms Djurovich has a much clearer recollection of the events of the week which she voiced in a tribute to the volunteers who helped her family, and others.
“Even though my family and I live in an isolated area, during the week following the fires we were visited by various CFA brigades, police, members of the armed forces, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Animal Aid, counsellors and individuals and members of other groups,” she wrote in a tribute which accompanies her exhibition of beautifully captured images.
She pays special tribute to the CFA crews from Dixons Creek and Olinda saying the local brigade managed to get through their narrow access road, with many trees still burning, at 6am on the Sunday morning.
“Of course, they weren’t there to put out fires, they were focused on saving lives and making sure survivors were safe,” she said.
Ms Djurovich said at that stage they had no idea what had happened to others in the area and it was reassuring to get some information.
She remembers the Olinda crew, including Ms Jefferyes and Ms Thomas arriving on the Wednesday.
“It wasn’t just the fire-fighting we appreciated, it was their supportive and cheery natures that brightened up our day,” she said.
The three met again at Yering Station, on the day of the opening.
“That’s us … in the photo,” Ms Thomas said and there was an instant, emotional reconnection.
“I remember you had a camera and I remember your lovely parents and taking water out of the dam,” said Ms Jefferyes.
Ms Thompson described seeing beautiful, high corn and water lilies on the lake.
“We were so glad to hear you guys survived,” she said, all three brushing tears away.
Ms Jefferyes said they approached the Djurovich house with a sense of uneasy anticipation, then drove up the driveway into what seemed like heaven.
“All we had seen was grey, grey, grey and black and more grey; then all of a sudden there was this lush, tropical paradise and we just thought, how the hell did they survive,” she said.
She said the day was all a bit of a blur but she remembered Ms Djurovich taking photos and thinking she was about the same age as her son.
Ms Djurovich who grew up in the Dandenong Ranges and moved to ‘Tenderbreak’, a 96-acre secluded bush block in Dixons Creek in 2001, said she had always had a passion for art, and particularly photography.
“I especially enjoy capturing images of simple things in nature that often go unnoticed and focus on capturing the moment, mood, fragility and raw energy in my subject matter,” she said.
“Doing the photos and putting on the exhibition has been like a healing, a way to work through the feelings of that time,” she said.
“Everything coming back, the plants and animals returning, is like a healing time for me.”
Many of the works capture the moment, while some others have been manipulated to tell a story or evoke an emotional response – the before and the now.
Out Of The Black is on display at Matt’s Bar at Yering Station in Yarra Glen.
Admission is free and commission from sales is donated to the leukaemia auxiliary at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
