By Kyra Gillespie
A Tonimbuk family is one of 29 whose homes have been reduced to rubble and ash.
Karen Shift, Billy Garner and son Jesse lost their Tonimbuk Road property of 15 years in the raging Bunyip State Park fire.
“We got out with a bag of clothes each, not much,” Karen said tearfully.
“We evacuated to a friend’s property opposite Jinks Creek winery, then we evacuated again, then again from there. On Saturday we got evacuated three times to three different locations.
“We didn’t know then that our house was gone at that point.”
As they waited anxiously for any news, checking and re-checking the VicEmergency app, it wasn’t until battle-weary firefighters came from over the hill that Karen and her family decided to leave.
“The house went Saturday lunchtime. The fireys came out and said they had been ordered out,” she explained.
“We told the firefighters our address and the look on one fella’s face just told me everything. He said, ‘I’m sorry, but I think you’re going to be impacted.’
“About half an hour later I saw this monster flame coming over the hill towards Andrew’s winery and just thought no, I’m out of here.
“We only had a little bit of Tonimbuk Road to get out of, and I knew if it came across those trees and across the road we would have been trapped.”
They were watching the flames all of Friday night.
“There were spots everywhere and the wind was getting swirly.
“We were lucky to get out before it took off.”
By a sheer stroke of luck, they were able to get their horse off the 10 acre property – and only a few months before they sold off their herd of cattle because of the drought.
“The only reason she got on the truck was because one of our neighbours horses wouldn’t load, so they stopped and said ‘We’re taking her,’ and they wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“They’ve had her safe with them since then. They were amazing.”
Karen first discovered her house had burnt down on the news.
“I got sent a photo from my friend, and she’d seen it on ABC online, and she said, ‘Please tell me this isn’t your house.’ And I remember looking at my friend Di and I just went white. I felt sick.
“All you could see were the tanks and this little path that went between the shed and the house, and at first I couldn’t tell if it was ours.
“I was hyperventilating.”
They weren’t allowed to step onto the property until Monday.
“I didn’t know what to expect but I knew it was gone. I don’t know if I even cried. I just thought – there’s nothing left. There was a box with a saddle and a bridle and a few other things, which I felt thankful for.
“But poor Billy – his mum passed away years ago and all her stuff’s gone, he’s just shattered.
“It took us a while to recognise what we were looking at.”
Everything from Billy’s Elvis vinyl collection to family photographs, have been obliterated.
“All that history is gone,” Billy said.
“That’s the stuff you’re going to miss when the dust settles.”
Karen said all the properties over the road from them “were safe and intact.”
“I hope they don’t experience survivor’s guilt; our home’s the first one they have to pass every day to get to their homes,” she said.
The family had nothing but praise for the CFA volunteers who battled the blaze.
“I didn’t want anyone to die saving our house. I said to them, ‘Do what you can, but get the hell out of there if you need to. It’s a house – sure, we’ve got a lot of stuff in there, but it’s just a house.’”
Feelings of grief are slowly turning to anger over the lack of forest management carried out before the fire broke out on Friday 8 March.
“On our non-existent fridge they had a notice about a fuel reduction burn that they were supposed to do 12 to 18 months ago that they hadn’t done,” Karen said.
“They didn’t want to burn certain areas because of certain animals but now they’re all dead. The beautiful goannas, the kangaroos, the echidnas, the eagles, the parrots – they’re all dead.
“They did nothing with weak excuses. I don’t want to get political, and that’s all I’ll say.
“But the CFA – I can’t say anything good enough about them. I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to die protecting our property. They did what they could and they had to flee for their life.
“We weren’t going to say – what about our house? We said thanks for what you could do.”
“We got told ten years ago after that big fire that it wasn’t going to happen again,” Billy added.
“They told us so many times that because of the royal commission it wouldn’t happen again, but they didn’t do a thing.”
As they start to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, the family has been blown away by the support shown from the community.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by support, aside from everything that’s happened we’ve been blessed to be here.
“We’ve had home cooked meals brought to us; the Bunyip footy club have been amazing replacing all my son’s gear that was lost; people wanting to help clear the site for nothing; the free coffees; even six months of dog food from local businesses – the community at large have been amazing.
“We will rebuild – if they insure it for us again.”
