Stories from a black day- Katrina Van de Linde and Rosie Morris found a mutual friend.

By Kath Gannaway
WHEN the Dixons Creek community came together at the town’s reserve on Sunday 22 March for the first time since 7 February, it was a rare chance to catch up. For others it was a first meeting.
Long-time residents Lindsay Morris and Dianne and Malcolm Towt had plenty to catch up on after the fires raced through the Towt farm leaving a trail of destruction.
“We lost the machinery shed, our 100-year-old farmhouse – our son’s home, a ton of calf feed, 500 square bales and 65 round bales, and then when I went to find a veterinary needle and it wasn’t there,” Mrs Towt said with grudging acceptance.
“Then my bull died.”
She added that she wasn’t impressed by that … or words to that effect!
Irene Philip told of how the events of Black Saturday went from one challenge to another –rescuing her elderly mother from the approaching fire and retrieving a normally docile but on the day highly agitated bull that had, by sheer brute-force, shouldered its way out of its paddock as the smoke and ash rolled in.
Youngsters Katrina Van de Linde and sisters Rosie and Tilly Morris were having a different conversation – their chatting was all about the tiny Jack Russell puppy they were spoiling.
Conversations ranged from fences and fodder to personal experiences of facing the fires on the day.
They talked about loss of friends and neighbours, and of precious belongings, the frustration of road blocks and the clean-up, how the kids will cope with it all as time goes on, miraculous escapes, insurance, and recognition of just how fortunate a community is to have men and women who will not only put in hundreds of hours a year as CFA volunteers but then put their lives on the line for their community when an event like Black Saturday lands on their doorstep.
Jean Shortis, who organised the gathering, said it was pleasing to see so many people take advantage of the chance to get together and to thank local brigade members.
There were no plaques, certificates or other grand gestures when community representative Stephen Shortis did an official ‘thank you’ to the brigade.
With a handshake he thanked CFA captain Graeme Miller for the amazing job he and his brigade members did on Black Saturday.