Tough nut to crack

By Melissa Meehan
AS FIRES raged through his Narbethong property, Tony Parisi and his family made a quick escape from the exploding cool room they were sheltering in.
“It was the worst idea we ever had,” Mr Parisi said.
“We just made it out before the fires hit, sadly the dog didn’t make it.”
Despite news of a high fire risk the walnut farmer and his family decided to stay on their property on 7 February and protect their home.
“We thought we were in a good position to see the fires if they came our way,” he said.
“But we had no idea until my niece in Hoddles Creek called me and said the fire was coming.
“Within 15 minutes we heard a noise from the north – it was the fire.”
While Mr Parisi and his family were able to escape the fire unharmed, they lost their home, farming equipment and crops.
He estimates the overall loss to be in excess of $960,000.
“A lot of people don’t know that walnut trees don’t burn,” he said.
“But our chestnut trees badly suffered, I only had 15 of them, though.”
There was no question whether Mr Parisi would rebuild his family home on the 80 hectare property.
“I knew I was staying from the beginning,” he said. “I am not going to leave behind 30 years of hard work, it’s an excellent orchard – the cooler climate makes good fruit.”
More than a quarter of his farm is covered in walnut trees and other fruit varieties and Mr Parisi said he would not walk away.
“It will come back good. It might take a year for the walnuts to grow back but it will all come back good,” he said.
“This is my baby – I can’t walk away.”
Fortunately for Mr Parisi, a builder by trade, his two sons are now rebuilding his house and expect to be completed within the next month.
For now he is living in Mitcham but travels back and forth daily.
“It’s been lots of work,” Mr Parisi said.
“There have been many meetings and that’s without even replacing my equipment.”
Mr Parisi said the government had been helpful during the recovery from the bushfires.
“Grants have come readily available,” he said.
“They have really come in handy for us.”