Black day’s stories help with recovery

By Kath Gannaway
A BOOK on the Black Saturday bushfires has been hailed as a huge success.
Firestorm, a 240-page hardcover book produced by the Glenvale School community, was released in November last year and has already sold thousands of copies, raising $200,000 for CFA brigades across the state… so far.
Volunteers from 12 brigades travelled to Kinglake last week to receive the first donations from the sale of the book.
Yarck, Alexandra, Taggerty, Dixons Creek, Arthurs Creek, St Andrews, Toolangi, Buxton and Narbethong brigades each received $4000 while Marysville, Kinglake and Kinglake West received $10,000.
Glenvale School spokesman Anthony Arkcoll said one of the motivations for producing the book was that many of the communities near where school members live were directly affected by the fires.
The school has campuses in Lilydale and Berwick.
“While no students lost houses, many of our neighbours, customers, employees and suppliers weren’t so fortunate,” Mr Arkcoll said.
Glenvale parent Bruce Garrett said the school had specifically tried to help the smaller brigades and that the response had been very rewarding.
McEwen MP Fran Bailey congratulated the school community and paid tribute to the CFA volunteers and individuals who had shared their stories.
Describing the book as “beautiful in its honesty”, she said the extraordinary contribution of the Glenvale School community was indicative of the message to people affected by the bushfires that they did not have to rebuild their lives by themselves.
“Today is an important example of that because here we have the Glenvale students, parents, family and friends who have devised, in a very practical way, how they can help our volunteers to do an even more outstanding job and make sure they have what they need to do that job.”
Yarck CFA members John Drysdale and Tom Jones thanked the Glenvale School for both the donation and for the book.
“I think the stories mean a hell of a lot to everyone,” Mr Drysdale said.
“They also serve as a warning because it is the stories which show what happened on that day.”
Teenage CFA member Kellan Fiske from Marysville also thanked the school.
He lost his mother, Liz, and brother, Dalton, in the fires.
“I have not had the courage to read it just yet… but I have heard a lot of good feedback and it is helping a lot of people move forward,” he said.
“Thank you very much.”