Forums > Social Discussion > fires in Victoria Australia, let us know if you're ok.

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SkulduggeryGOLD Member
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales


Posted:
I've just seen the BBC News about the fires in Victoria in Australia, which made me worried for all our lovely HoPpers in the area.

If you could check in and let us know you are all safe it would be good.

Also if you need anything that we might be able to provide... It may take us a bit of time to get it to you but if you have lost your home or belongings I'm sure many people here would only be to happy to try and help you replace as much as we can.

You're in my thoughts and I am hoping you are all safe.

Feed me Chocolate!!! Feed me NOW!


Neon_ShaolinGOLD Member
hehe, 'Member' huhuh
6,120 posts
Location: Behind you. With Jam


Posted:
As far as I know none of the people we know here have been immediately affected by the fire. But that's not to say the ordeal is over or that it hasn't claimed its share of casualties.

"I used to want to change the world, now I just wanna leave the room with a little dignity..." - Lotus Weinstock


DentrassiGOLD Member
ZORT!
3,045 posts
Location: Brisbane, Australia


Posted:
its awful. i cant really describe how today has been catching up with all the reports back home.

theres a huge amount of people i know in victoria - mainly circussy types centred around suburban melbourne away from the bush though. but regardless of whether anyone i know was directly affected - its absolutely heartbreaking. frown

"Here kitty kitty...." - Schroedinger.


hamamelisBRONZE Member
nut.
756 posts
Location: Bouncing off the walls., England (UK)


Posted:
Yeah.. stay safe guys.. grouphug

THE MEEK WILL INHERIT THE EARTH!


If that's okay with you?


PyroWillGOLD Member
HoP's Barman. Trapped aged 6 months
4,437 posts
Location: Staines, United Kingdom


Posted:
I've texted a few people and agree with Dave, msot of the people we know seem to be ok, but who knows, thoughts are with them.
hug

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind

Give a man a fish and he'll eat 4 a day hit a man with a brick and you can have all his fish and his wife

"Will's to pretty for prison" - Simian


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
It’s been pretty terrible, and they reckon that the death toll will go over 200. The fires travelled very fast and caught many people unprepared. People then decided to flee their homes, and got caught in their cars. The situation would have been much worse with out the help of the volunteers that make up the Country Fire Authority.

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
I worry about Pyrolific and Katinca. Have we heard from them?

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


DerwynLightworker
88 posts
Location: New Mexico


Posted:
This makes me so sad, it stopped me on my way out this morning; I couldn't help but tear up. My heart goes out to all those affected by this tragedy.

"When we dance with the faeries, we dance with the reflections of our true selves and the true inner self of the world."

"If you keep thinking like that, you'll never get to meet a Unicorn."


MRCSILVER Member
Funky Blessings Daily
215 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
Heard about it on the radio this morning. Good luck to you guys.

pineapple peteSILVER Member
water based
5,125 posts
Location: melbourne, Australia


Posted:
hey everyone. so far, all the spinners ive talked to have been physically unaffected. that said, many of the spinners are living in city-based areas, flynt, ezz, myco (bonnie), bender are ok. i do believe rouge is overseas (correct me if im wrong).

that said, theres quite a significant number of spinners living in the outer north eastern suburbs, near the fire affected areas. nathanial everest posted in our local spin-meet thread that there were a few scares near his place, and he was staying home so he could evacuate if need be, but no updates there. other spinners from the area, including moka and other non-hop spinners, im honestly not sure about. many positive thoughts are with them.

with another 2 weeks until uni starts, ive offered to volunteer. called up volunteers victoria, just before writing this out, to offer to help with anything. my details will be passed on to a volunteer organisation very soon. so, maybe today, tomorow, next week, or maybe not at all, i may well be off to help out.

stay safe everyone hug kiss

"you know there are no trophys for doing silly things in real life yeah pete?" said ant "you wont get a 'listened to ride of the valkyries all the way to vietnam' trophy"

*proud owner of the very cute fire_spinning_angel, birgit and neon shaolin*


BrennPLATINUM Member
Will carpal your tunnel in a minute.
3,286 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
As a city dweller in Melbourne I'm adding myself to the list of people who're okay.

Have family friends and friends who have been affected, some of whom have lost everything. The whole thing is heartbreaking frown

I've tried most of the volunteer avenues, all of which are closed til further notice. Instead I have donated clothes, kitchen supplies, batteries, bowls & cutlery, utensils, books, art supplies for children, shoes and other odds and ends to nearby relief centres, and in the coming days i'm going to give blood. While a drop in the bucket on its own, theres been a massive consensus the likes i've never seen in Melbourne where everyone is pitching in and moving heaven and Earth to contribute in some way: the combined effort being a significant alleviation to the suffering we're experiencing today.

A very core part of the fire/alternative community, St Andrews, was hit really hard and over 20+ residents killed and many more injured and displaced. The St Andrews Market that runs every saturday will be a very somber and moving occasion when it returns, which i sincerely hope it does.

Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers.

ॐ

Owner of burningoftheclavey smile
Owned by Lost83spy


BrennPLATINUM Member
Will carpal your tunnel in a minute.
3,286 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Originally Posted By: Doc LightningI worry about Pyrolific and Katinca. Have we heard from them?

I only have their email details and i've sent them an email. Should I hear anything from them i'll let you know post haste.

hug

EDIT: Pyrolific was online on another forum this morning. While i haven't heard directly from them, i'm certain that he and Katinca are ok smile
EDITED_BY: Brenn (1234243153)
EDIT_REASON: Info update

ॐ

Owner of burningoftheclavey smile
Owned by Lost83spy


PyrolificBRONZE Member
Returning to a unique state of Equilibrium
3,289 posts
Location: Adelaide, South Australia


Posted:
yeah we are fine!

We live in SA, the fires are in VIC - the closest (Horsham) is about 500ks from here - but the really bad fires are closer to 800ks.

At the moment our weather is fairly mild - but our conditions are really bad too - extremely dry, and we've had the same heatwaves....so yeah, it could happen to us too if the weather goes bad again...Around our place is a bit of a tinderbox too... smirk

--
Help! My personality got stuck in this signature machine and I cant get it out!


Bek66Future Mrs Pogo
4,728 posts
Location: The wrong place


Posted:
I've got a friend here that's originally from Melbourne...she said her dad was only two towns over from the fire lines...and this was on Saturday...I've emailed her to see if there's any more news...she's rather upset, as you can well imagine...

And yes, Rougie is now in Vanuatu...left about a week ago, wasn't it?

My heart goes out to anyone and everyone affected by these fires...and those in imminent danger, please stay safe and if need be, get out of harms way...a home can be replaced, people cannot!

"Absence is to love what wind is to fire...it extinguishes the small, enkindles the great."
--Comte Debussy-Rebutin


newgabeSILVER Member
what goes around comes around. unless you're into stalls.
4,030 posts
Location: Bali, Australia


Posted:
It is so Australian eh. Major tinderbox conditions and raging fires in Victoria, SA could go up anytime. Meanwhile over half of Qld is hugely flooded. Which, given the size of the place, is a bit like saying half of Europe is underwater. Normally THAT would be the big news... but bushfire. Augh. Horror.

Ya know it amazes me that we can go through our whole schooling system in this incredibly disaster-prone country and never be taught survival skills... like that every home/mill/community in a fire prone area should have a dugout!!

.....Can't juggle balls but I sure as hell can juggle details....


SkulduggeryGOLD Member
Pirate Pixie Crew Captain
8,428 posts
Location: Wales


Posted:
I'm so glad to hear so many of you are fine, but I'm also sad to hear so many people have died and so many others are injured or lost their homes.

I hope people in the flooded areas are ok too.

Mother Nature does seem to love reminding us just how fragile we are.

The fact that some of these fires appear to be man made and deliberately lit just re-enforces my belief that Human beings are some of the most stupid creatures on the planet. I hope those that did that get caught.

Feed me Chocolate!!! Feed me NOW!


railspinnerjourneyman
99 posts
Location: canada


Posted:
I wonder what the plausibility is of giving out fire shelters to everyone in bush fire prone areas. They are basicly made out of aluminum foil and woven silica and fibreglass, they have saved a lot of fire fighters lives in flashovers, you just deploy it and hide under it untill the fire passes. It packs up pretty small and can be deployed quickly, so at times like this people could easily carry them on their person.

Also, islamic crazy's were calling for a forest fire jihad last year in a bunch of countrys, wonder if they might be behind this.

The less people know the more they believe


pineapple peteSILVER Member
water based
5,125 posts
Location: melbourne, Australia


Posted:
personally i doubt there was religious reasoning behind the arsonists actions, fires get lit most years, i think it really does just come down to -ickheads.

hug

"you know there are no trophys for doing silly things in real life yeah pete?" said ant "you wont get a 'listened to ride of the valkyries all the way to vietnam' trophy"

*proud owner of the very cute fire_spinning_angel, birgit and neon shaolin*


Mother_Natures_SonSILVER Member
Rampant whirler.
2,418 posts
Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia!


Posted:
The death toll will skyrocket.. I dont think those killed by fires in deliberately lit areas have even been counted because its being treated as a crime scene.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Nobody I know has been directly affected by the fires just yet, which is quite amazing considering how many people I've actually known in areas 5 mins from some of these blazes.

Lets hope everything can be brought to the best possible conclusion.

At a minimum, the response is quite heartwarming, much easier to not get upset if we focus on that than the doom and gloom aspect.

hug


EeraBRONZE Member
old hand
1,107 posts
Location: In a test pit, Mackay, Australia


Posted:
The inlaws almost got burned out; they're in Nilma about 15km from the Bunyip fires, on Saturday we were driving when the news said "Warragul, Nilma and Drouin are under ember attack". The other half grew up in Warragul, his mum is in Nilma and his sister is in Drouin.

Queue much ringing around, no answer and major stressing. Eventually he got through, the olds were out with the CFA dousing the (smouldering) trees in their back yard, while mum was on the phone the hay shed in the neighboring property went up and flames zipped across the paddock of the place where in nephew was sheltering. Flames got right to the fence then the wind changed. They were lucky.

And the bastard in the paddock behind wouldn't let them access his dam (there's no town water in the area, they exist off rainwater tanks). the CFA just drove stright through his fence, good on 'em too.

All this was caused by burning leaves caught in an updraft landing in a tinder-dry field.

There is a slight possibility that I am not actually right all of the time.


LovoLord and Master
74 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Hey guys!
I had a close shave, fires came within a Km of my joint up in the mountains.
Luckily the fire crew were able to handle it, but it was a close call...
My thoughts are with all those who are not here to see the new day.

They're saying the toll could reach over 300, it's officially at 183 atm.

Under the skin of our lives; somewhere deep and early, forgotten, we all follow the same dreams.
- unknown


astonSILVER Member
Unofficial Chairperson of Squirrel Defense League
4,061 posts
Location: South Africa


Posted:
All the best to all....

'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


jarleGOLD Member
Lv15 Ranger
1,489 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
I'll add myself to the list of HoPpers that are OK at the moment, the nearest fire from me is roughly 30mins drive from here. However, my Rover crew (Scout group for adults) have lost a fantastic piece of land we often use for camps and such. I don't think that there's anyone in VIC who isn't in SOME way affected by the bushfires - officially the worst disaster to hit Australia apparently.

Still, it's amazing to see so many people wanting to help out.

Kupo!


NathanielEveristSILVER Member
enthusiast
315 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Yup, I'm adding myself to the list of people who are presently ok. Gotta love living in Victoria hey? We've had a few more fires just 5 minutes down the road from us, but luckily, the local CFA jumped on that very quickly indeed and saved the hills from what could've been a lot worse.

If these fires were intentionally lit... well, I just hope the person decides to light up some fire poi instead next time. In fact, the government should advertise fire-spinning as a productive alternative to arson for satisfying pyromania.

On a brighter note, gotta love our CFA, they're really fantastic. And it's great to see the unifying effect disaster has on our nation, it's great to see so many people volunteering and donating. I've already donated a bunch of clothes and blankets, and I would volunteer but I'm just too busy working at the moment.

Again, nothing but admiration for the CFA from me.





pineapple peteSILVER Member
water based
5,125 posts
Location: melbourne, Australia


Posted:
hey guys, im back from yea.. up near where some of the larger fires were.

i found a community group down the road yesterday that was planning on driving up, so i offered my services, filled my van to the roof, then three 4wd's towing trailers, a heavy rigid truck, and myself all drove up together. we had to go over 50kms out of the road to get to this town, because the main road's been blocked for a police investigation.

most of the driving was through the night, so i couldnt notice a lot of the damage, one thing that stood out though was speed signs saying 110km, almost indecipherable because theyd been so thoroughly burnt and covered in smoke and ash.

it took us a few hours for the lot of us to unload the trucks, it was almost 1am by this point, so i had a chat with the guy in charge of the incoming goods, he took me to the local relief camp where after being welcomed by the red cross ladies, a cup of tea and a sausage roll, i parked my van and retired for the evening.

woke up this morning, opened the van up, took a look out, smoke everywhere. hardly a surprise really.. the fires were all far enough away to be safe, but still a bit disconcerting..

spent a good bit of the looking after horses.. making sure they had food and water, occasionally moving one from here to there..

the amount of volunteer support was huge, there were almost more volunteers than people who needed support, so without being skilled in any specific area, i decided to head back to melbourne, see if theres anything else i can ferry up.. and thats where i am now.. back in melbourne, safe and sound smile

hug

"you know there are no trophys for doing silly things in real life yeah pete?" said ant "you wont get a 'listened to ride of the valkyries all the way to vietnam' trophy"

*proud owner of the very cute fire_spinning_angel, birgit and neon shaolin*


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
Petey,

I'm honored to be your friend.

I mean it.

hug

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


BrennPLATINUM Member
Will carpal your tunnel in a minute.
3,286 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Am currently on the waiting list for weekend volunteers

ॐ

Owner of burningoftheclavey smile
Owned by Lost83spy


Neon_ShaolinGOLD Member
hehe, 'Member' huhuh
6,120 posts
Location: Behind you. With Jam


Posted:
Petey is a Sweetie hug

Brenn is a *something good that rhymes* among Men... hug

"I used to want to change the world, now I just wanna leave the room with a little dignity..." - Lotus Weinstock


FlyntSILVER Member
Intrepid Penguin
5,635 posts
Location: Australia


Posted:
Today a fire started out near Ivanhoe, in the scrub that runs past the river near my flat. Was put out quickly, but it's disturbing that it's that close to the city now.

Death toll is supposed to peak over 300. Many souls lost, many homes gone and beatiful parts of Victoria are now just charcoal.

The red cross are looking for volunteers to man the phone lines for donations, so if you are near the city, PM me for details.

There are massive concerns regarding the two biggest firest still burning, that warm winds this weekend will push them together and sweep inland more.

There's not much else to say, but if you are in Australia, please donate, time, money, food or clothing/bedding. If you are outside of Australia, please send energy/prayers our way.

xoxox
F.

Currently on the right side up of the world.


StoneGOLD Member
Stream Entrant
2,829 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Originally Posted By: NathanielEveristIf these fires were intentionally lit... well, I just hope the person decides to light up some fire poi instead next time. In fact, the government should advertise fire-spinning as a productive alternative to arson for satisfying pyromania.

Hi Nathaniel, I think a lot of people are going around blaming arsonists because they have to blame someone for the fires. I’d be steering clear of any association between fire poi and bushfires. Here is a profile of an arsonists,who are not remorseful despite carnage, says expert

If we as members of the human race practice meditation, we can transcend our fear, despair, and forgetfulness. Meditation is not an escape. It is the courage to look at reality with mindfulness and concentration. Thich Nhat Hanh


NathanielEveristSILVER Member
enthusiast
315 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
Man, that profile makes arsonists sound pretty darn evil. I'm going up to Kingslake sometime this week with the children's entertainment company I work for to cheer up the kiddies.

As for the association with fire-poi and bushfires, I was just joking, I don't even like fire-poi anyway, give me socks anyday.

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