Australia’s worst-ever bushfire disaster
The ‘lucky country’ stands in a state of shock
Photo smh.com.au
by Gary Bates
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
From My Country, an iconic poem by Dorothea Mackellar (1885–1968).
The recent devastation caused by massive firestorms in South-Eastern Australia has
become international news. And deservedly so. It has become the worst natural disaster
in Australia’s recorded history, surpassing the “Ash Wednesday”
bushfires of 1983 that claimed 75 lives.1
Photo smh.com.au
The contrasting landscapes and the raw, rugged and unspoilt outback define the character
of Australia and many citizens feel tied to their unique land in a way that is difficult
for others to understand. The fifth largest landmass in the world might be home
to only 20 million people, but large numbers of them live with the very real threat
of bushfire. For this reason, most Australians are reasonably fire conscious, and when
travelling in the “bush” they understand the destruction that can follow
any careless action, with a firelighter/match, for example. Nonetheless, each summer,
bushfires occur, with some being worse than others. For Aussies it is a part of the
way of life in this “sunburnt country”.
However, nothing prepared the Australian community for what took place. It seemed
like only hours between the initial news reports that serious bushfires had taken
hold (mainly in the states of Victoria and New South Wales), and a sudden soaring
death toll. The large loss of life is something that is quite unusual as many Australians
who live in rural areas, or are surrounded by woodlands etc. often have firebreaks2 around their properties, and
have other precautions in place should fire occur in the scrub around them. But
the “rulebook” will need to be rewritten after these events. The prevailing
circumstances were ideal for a “perfect (fire)storm”.
Ideal conditions for a disaster
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In recent weeks, much of southern Australia has been in the grip of a searing heatwave.
The state capitals of Melbourne and Adelaide had been enduring record unbroken maximum
temperatures in excess of 40°C (104°F). Coupled with years of drought in
Australia (also the worst on record), the initial fires were whipped into a firestorm
by hot northerly gale-force winds in excess of 100 kph (63 mph). The fires engulfed
forests, parks, paddocks and everything in their path. This included, very sadly,
many homes. Eyewitnesses said they only had minutes to act between the time that
embers first landed on their houses to when they were completely ablaze, often trapping
victims with no chance of escape. Even more tragically, many who did manage to leave
their homes by car, sadly, perished in vehicle accidents due to the intense palls
of black choking smoke reducing visibility to less than a metre. With vehicles stranded
on roads flanked by burning bushland, with fallen branches and trees, still ablaze,
increasingly blocking the only road access out, they had no hope. The heat was so
intense that many metal parts of these vehicles have simply melted. Complete townships
have been razed to the ground. As I write, the death toll is set to exceed 200,
with more than 750 homes lost. Hundreds more have suffered horrendously painful
burns. The toll is expected to continue to rise as the fires pass
through and rescuers face the grisly task of entering destroyed communities. For
those who have managed to survive, their only possessions are the very clothes they
are wearing.
Conversely, at the same time, Australia’s tropical north has been devastated
by seemingly endless rain leaving two-thirds of the state of Queensland declared
as flood zones. Hundreds of homes have also been ruined.
“O, Lord, what is going on?”
Similarly, as with the tragedy of September 11, 2001, God is in the news. People
are asking the big questions once again—Why does
a God of love allow such suffering?
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As with most disasters, no one is prepared for loss. The Bible is candidly open
though in showing how the patriarchs mourned and wept, and even the Lord Jesus Christ
wept over the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35). This is because death is not normal. It was
not the plan that God had ordained for His original perfect creation. Death entered
the world as a consequence of sin and no one is immune. When proclaiming the consequences
of man’s actions in Genesis 3, God tells us that sin will not only affect human
beings, but the plants, the animals and the very ground upon which we stand will
be cursed. And Romans 8:22 reminds us that the whole creation is groaning (for
instance, why do tsunamis occur that kill hundreds of thousands?).
The patriarch Job, surely one of the most afflicted of all men, often complained,
got angry and also asked why. But Job, like many of the patriarchs before him, understood
history (as recorded in Scripture). He knew the grand plan His Creator had for him.
As such, he had faith that God would and could carry out His plan of redemption
when he cried:
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the
earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart
faints within me!” (Job 19:25–27).
The recent Australian bushfire disaster once again causes many to consider life’s
big picture and why a God of love would allow such things to occur.
The Bible helps us understand our place in the cosmos. It provides meaning and purpose
for life. If we take the Bible at face value, then we understand that death and
struggle is a legacy and a constant reminder of our fallen state and the cursed
Earth. Like Abraham (Genesis 23:2) and Job, we grieve with loss, but also believe
that this earthly life is not the sum of all things. Personally, in the last two
years, I have buried my sister and father who both succumbed to cancer. It was tragic
and I cried and grieved. But because they both professed faith in Jesus Christ as
their saviour, like Job, I know that I will see them again with my own eyes. I can
trust the Almighty Creator of the universe to keep His promises.
But my heart also grieves and is saddened, not only for the victims of these Australian
bushfires, but for those who have suffered and died in terrible northern hemisphere
winters and for people currently losing their jobs and homes all around the world
due to the global economic crisis. Why? Because without God, indeed, what hope,
what comfort do they have?
The simple plain truth is that all of us will eventually face death sooner or later.
During Jesus’ time of ministry on Earth, He was asked a similar question of
“Why?” In Luke 13:1–4 we read:
“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, ‘Do
you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans,
because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will
all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed
them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived
in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’”
Jesus’ answer focussed on the very urgent need for salvation. Their death
did not reflect how “bad’ they were. Those who died were neither worse
nor better than any other sinner. The point was none of us know our appointed time
and Jesus was reminding us that we all, therefore, need to be saved. Of course the
people in Siloam were not expecting a building to fall on them. In the same way,
the victims of 9/11 were not expecting an airplane to come through their window
on that fateful morning.
“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”
(2 Corinthians 6:2).
Evolution: no purpose, no hope.
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Unfortunately, because most people have been taught or exposed to the theory of
evolution during their formative education years, they have mistakenly accepted
that death and suffering are a normal part of our existence in the great evolutionary
struggle for survival. No wonder they are confused about God, and whether He really loves
us.
We are all trapped on this mudball spinning in space, and there is nothing we can
do to save ourselves. But, the reality is God has done something about all the death
and suffering once and for all. He sent Jesus.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes
in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
And we are reminded about the blessings that redeemed humanity will have in the
new heavens and Earth.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
And there will be a restoration.
“In the midst [of the new Jerusalem] … was there the tree of life …
And there shall be no more curse” [ just like the Garden of Eden] (Revelation 22:2,3).
Christians: let God be shown through you
As Christians we know we have the answer. It is within our ability to help people—nay
to love them. It was commanded by Jesus—“Love your neighbour as yourself”
(Matthew 22:39). In the midst of terrible suffering it is
a time for all Christians to stand up and be counted. The world is certainly a hurting
place at present. It is not a time to be withdrawing. People are asking about God
more than ever. Wherever you are in this hurting world, please do what you can.
Please help or provide comfort to those who are suffering loss. If that is difficult
for you then please pray or at least support one of the many good Christian organizations
out there who are proclaiming the message and providing hope.
The message of hope that Christians can proclaim right now stands in stark contrast
to what some broadcast media have given airtime to in the context of the bushfire
tragedy, namely, the voice of the ‘global warming’ bandwagon. Do
they have a case? Might there be a link between
Australia’s current droughts, floods and bushfires and modern-day carbon emissions?
For what it’s worth, let me return to the iconic poem by Dorothea Mackellar. I began this article with
a well-known extract from that poem, but I end now by reproducing it in full, simply
pointing out that Dorothea Mackellar wrote it in 1904, i.e. over
a century ago. (I’ve emphasized—i.e. in bold font— just a little
of the text, otherwise leaving the reader to draw the conclusion.)
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My Country
© 1904 Dorothea MacKellar
The love of field and coppice, of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance, brown streams and soft, dim skies-
I know but cannot share it, my love is otherwise.
I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror-the wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests, all tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains, the hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops, and ferns the warm dark soil.
Core of my heart, my country! Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us we see the cattle die-
But then the grey clouds gather, and we can bless again
The drumming of an army, the steady soaking rain.
Core of my heart, my country! Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine she pays us back
threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks, watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness that thickens as we gaze.
An opal-hearted country, a wilful, lavish land-
All you who have not loved her, you will not understand-
Though earth holds many splendours, wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country my homing thoughts will fly.
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Related articles
Related resources
References
- The 1983 ‘Ash Wednesday’ fires affected large
areas of South Australia (28 deaths) and Victoria (47 deaths). As at the time of
writing, 11th February 2009, the toll from the current bushfires stands at 181,
and has been estimated by authorities to exceed 200 deaths, all in Victoria. While
bushfires have been burning concurrently in other states (notably New South Wales),
the destruction thankfully did not extend to loss of life. Return
to text.
- Firebreaks are clearings of land around properties designed
as barriers to prevent the fire crossing over them. Return to text.
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