NYE 2019 was the day that changed our lives, altering the way we look at summer, and our climate.
Just over two years on, Barb Lewis records what she observed as the Clyde Mountain fire bellowed into Eurobodalla’s suburbs, causing thousands to seek shelter at Malua Bay.
Malua Bay Beach – My Refuge on 31 December 2019
At 8.50am I made the heartbreaking decision to leave my home to head to Malua Bay Beach. The fires that had been building for weeks were now so frighteningly close, thick smoke and an ominous red sky confirmed the fact that it wasn’t far away. I had already packed my car and as I backed out I took a photo of my dear little home, so sad, very teary, so very aware that I might never see it again.
I picked up a neighbour from George Bass Drive and together we drove to the beach which was already chaotic. People were milling on the beach, the grass, and the road. There were cars, bikes, people with suitcases, babies in prams, kids carrying birds in cages, horses, dogs and cats, hundreds and hundreds of us, all bewildered, worried, watching the sky and feeling the hot wind which brought embers falling like rain.
The traffic increased and more and more people arrived, the air was now so thick with smoke that it was hard to see and to breathe. Some people took refuge in the toilets which were dark and cool, others went into the sea. The wonderful surf life saving team were coming around constantly with information and reassurance, helping distressed people, and generally keeping an eye on us all. What heroes!!
And then the inferno hit Malua Bay and as we watched you could see and hear homes burning, the headlands were on fire, so many explosions which we presumed were gas bottles going up. So Frightening!
The hotel adjoining the beach had still not been completed, the ground floor had walls but no fronts. So many of us asked it we could maybe seek refuge there, (it was surrounded by wire fencing). Finally, the fence was removed and we all descended to the relative safety of this concrete structure. We were only there a few minutes before authorities advised us to get to the beach quickly as the fire was headed this way and the building may be in the path of the blaze . So we ran, I can’t describe what that was like, again people with animals, babies, suitcases etc all of us running over to the sand and the water in panic.
And then darkness fell, it was around 11.45am and the sky turned black, we were in total darkness, except for the flames and glow of the fires surrounding us. Children were crying, in fact adults were crying too, it seemed we were in Hell.
The darkness passed after a while (honestly can’t remember whether it was 15 minutes or an hour)but I remember the eerie light falling afterward, and then miraculously the wind changed direction. Fires were burning all around us but somehow, we felt the worse was over. People started walking around, some attempting to get to their cars but were stopped by the police. No one was allowed to leave until areas had been assessed. They blocked all roads and were trying to create some semblance of order.
It was several hours before I was able to return home to find it still intact, I was blessed compared to so many friends and local residents who lost everything. This experience has changed me forever, I will never take for granted anything anymore, to see how quickly life can change in a morning, in a minute! Recently the ABC aired a series called Fires! No way could I watch it and I realise I am still affected deeply by New Years Eve 2019.
We must act on Climate Reform and Change now! This will happen again if we continue the way we are going. We must protect our land, our people and our beloved planet.
Barb Lewis
7 March 2022
Photographs – Barb Lewis
WOOEE_March 2022
