Roll on winter – I never thought I’d say that!

Summer in Australia is something I’ve always look forward to. After all, our national identity epitomizes sun bronzed people enjoying the beach. It is embedded in tourist minds. It’s a time when we go on holidays, and head outdoors. But for many Australians, summer 2019/2020 has been far from carefree.

Bush fires have been burning since September. Lives have been lost. Houses and livelihoods have been decimated in fires that burnt so hot they created their own weather systems.

On the east coast, more than 800 homes have been destroyed in bush fires since December. Behind those statistics is an anxious community. Just a few kilometres from where I live some over 25 homes and hundreds of storage sheds have been lost and farms have been razed along with the death of several people caught in the monstrosity of a fire storm and unable to escape.