The Victorian bushfires, which have torn through our state and hearts, have brought unspeakable grief and loss to many.
We felt horrified and helpless as the death toll soared and the terrifying reality of what had happen sunk in.
This Wednesday past (18th Feb) I was part of a small response team in Yarra Glen, where The Salvation Army is working alongside other agencies to assist those effected. Local Red Cross volunteers serving in the kitchen there mentioned they had lost friends and where still unsure of whether other friends had survived. Those volunteering at the makeshift distribution centre also said they had also lost friends in the fires.
One family I spoke with told me of how they saw there neighbours houses bursting into flames and feared they were about to die. They took me out to where they live and showed me how the fire had come within two hundred metres of their home. One house will be in tact, front garden and all, while the house next door is nothing but rubble.
I could see how the ferocity and indiscriminate nature of the bushfires will remain in and trouble the collective memory of Yarra Glen for decades to come. Yet I could also see a deep resilience and courage in the eyes of many; a profound determination to overcome. Some were even reluctance to accept help if it meant those who had fared worse than themselves got less.
As part of a nation and world that has reached out to embrace those who have been through so much, I felt privileged that it was my hands that touched the lives of a few very amazing people.
In days to come I hope and pray the bushfire survivors come to realise, and are encouraged by, just how big those loving arms really are.
