By Joanna Catalano
Tuesday, January 8, 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the devastating Little River bushfires of 1969.
On that day, 230 fires burned across Victoria. Twenty one of those, including fires in Little River, Lara, Daylesford, Bulgana, Yea, Darraweit Guim, Kangaroo Flat and Korong Vale, were deemed serious. More than 250,000 hectares, 230 homes and 12,000 head of livestock were destroyed.
Of the 21 deaths that day, 18 were at Lara, 17 of those were motorists who died on the Princes Highway as they left their cars in dense smoke to run from the fire.
Terry Hedt AFSM, is the captain of Little River Fire Brigade. On the day of the 1969 fires he was a member of the brigade that fought the fires in Little River and Lara.
He recounted his experience on the day of the 1969 fires to the CFA.
“Apart from the heat and smoke, we had to contend with the severe dust storm blown up by the strong winds. I covered my eyes with one hand and peeked between a couple of fingers every now and then to see where I was spraying the water. It was a tough few minutes but we put the fire out enough to drive over the bridge to proceed to Lara,” he said.
“Upon arriving at Little River, we methodically checked all the buildings. Churches and homes there had all been spared by the flames. Only my neighbour’s cypress hedge was burning and we helped extinguish it with his help.
“We spent the rest of the day checking properties and extinguishing anything still burning. The landscape was littered with power poles and fences that had been flattened by the flames. The ground was blackened as far as our eyes could see.”
The Little River and Lara communities came together to commemorate the anniversary of the fires and those who lost their lives at a memorial service last week.
Chief Officer Steve Warrington said it was an honour to remember those who lost their lives, families, homes, and their livelihoods.
“We honour the service of those brigade members who responded, battling extreme conditions to save lives and property,” he said.
Mr Hedt has his own way of remembering the fires. “I now own the property where the Lara fire started. I have made a large commemorative marker stone that will remain on my property so future generations can remember this tragic event which had such a big impact on the Lara and Little River areas,” he said.
