Red Moon

There was a red moon in the sky tonight. Beautiful it was, but made you feel an underlying sense of disquiet as well. I’m not being melodramatic, not much anyway. That red moon was caused by a fog of fire smoke hanging over the city – a dreadful reminder of the bushfires that have ravaged the state of Victoria right up to the outskirts of Melbourne.

My experience of the bushfires has been purely anecdotal, thankfully. As Black Saturday burned outside I stayed indoors much of the day with the curtains drawn to escape the suffocating 47 degree heat outside. I ventured outside at one point, just to have a little taster of what it was like. A hot wind blew fiercely down the road, feeling like the product of some giant hair dryer. My skin tingled in the thick air as I quickly retreated. A true taste of Hades.

The stories have always been heartbreaking and often tragic. The bravery of those wishing to stay and protect their houses from the unflinching fires is astounding. The story of one man has stayed with me. Staying to protect his house, he was finally beaten into retreat, not by the fire itself, but by the burning hot air that preceded it, blistering his skin before the fire even got near him. He retreated to his neighbours’ house to help them protect their house. The last thing he remembers is being thrown into the swimming pool by one of those neighbours.

Hundreds of people have lost their homes, and the death toll continues to creep up. My proximity to this disaster means it has touched me a little more than the many we read about on the world news each week. Empathy seems to have a direct relationship with proximity – with colleagues and friends all seeming to know people directly affected it’s impossible to not put yourself in their position.

The debate about whether to make people leave or not rolls on. Despite the tragedies that have resulted, I think people should still be allowed to make that choice. They are adults who enter into that choice knowing of the consequences. A government shouldn’t be there to make choices for people, to nanny them. Because where does that end?

But I digress. What’s been making the most impression throughout this whole disaster is the spirit of the Australian people. Never have I seen such speedy response to help fellow man. Or such heartfelt enthusiasm for helping out. Millions of dollars have been raised very quickly, and collection points set up around the city to collect vital items for those who have lost everything. Imagine that: being left with nothing but the clothes on your back. Not even a toothbrush.

The Australians have pulled together in a way that I wonder whether you’d ever see in my own country. The solidarity is impressive and inspiring. It feels good to be amongst them right now.