Ben McArthur
MEMBER for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien visited Loch Sport on Friday October 6 to speak with locals about their concerns of the recent bushfires.
They discussed concerns around power supply, water and evacuation plans.
Mr O’Brien said the day was constructive and that he will raise concerns to the state government.
“It’s a good opportunity for the community to give me clear feedback. It’s great to listen to the community and it was great that so many turned up,” he said.
“Loch Sport is a community that is very passionate about its fire protection.”
About 50 people attended, including the president of the 18-hole Loch Sport Golf Club, Shaun Casley.
Mr Casley was part of a five-person spotter group set up at the golf course to locate fires and provide food to CFA personnel on Tuesday.
“They (CFA) came because we made sure they had a place they could set up and fight the fires,” he said.
“We took them around the golf course and showed where it was safe to go and where it wasn’t. There are a few spots where they can’t drive trucks otherwise it would get stuck in sand. ”
Mr Casley said the CFA volunteers came from around Victoria.
The outer edges of the golf course are the closest the fires got to the town before the rain started.
Although the surrounding trees have been burnt, little of the course itself was damaged.
“The fire stopped where it did because the golf course acts as a fire break and if we didn’t have that or the rain, it could have been the end for Loch Sport,” he said.
After the meeting at Lochy Coffee, Mr O’Brien visited other areas around Loch Sport including the local BP owner, Elias Saliba.
Mr Saliba assisted the CFA during the fires by providing resources. He wanted to leave at first warning.
“I was going to leave for my safety but I received a phone call from my wife and she said ‘how are the firefighters going to get their fuel?’ And I didn’t think about that,” he said.
“And lucky I stayed. I supplied fuel to the firefighters and fuel to the locals to run their generators and we started cooking meals for the firefighters.”
Last Tuesday, about 60 people were taking refuge at the Loch Sport Marina Hotel.
Bartender Jake Elso and waitress Jessica Flynn were working at this time.
Mr Elso said he was unaware of the emergency until people started seeking refuge at the restaurant.
“Well, I just woke up and came into work and it was a completely normal day. I hadn’t seen anything about it before we arrived. We only heard about it because people started coming in and telling us,” he said.
“It got a bit busier than I expected but that’s about it.
“The only kind of tell-tale sign is that when the wind blew the smoke I nearly suffocated, but I just thought it was a burn off.”
Ms Flynn said the regions power outage meant working conditions were different.
“We could communicate and all that, but our generator had limited power, so they could only operate the kitchen and the pub. So serving in here was only served with candlelight,” she explained.
“Which is nice atmosphere. It’s pretty.”
On the road into Loch Sport, kilometres of bushland was completely black and embers were still burning in some areas.
Mr O’Brien suggested the state government use more Indigenous fire management practices.
“The reality of living in south eastern Australia is we are one of the most fire prone regions in the world so there’s going to be more fires and that will always be the case,” he said.
“But very clearly the community has been concerned for a long time that not enough has been done to reduce the risk and amount of fuel.
“This week’s fire has highlighted the concerns of the community.”
Mr O’Brien also said there was a silver lining.
“We’ve just had a great fuel reduction boom, but this is not the way you want to do it,” he said.
“It’s not good for the environment. It’s not good for the wildlife. It’s not good for communities and if we managed it better and did more cool burning we wouldn’t have this disastrous outcome.”
Labor member for Eastern Victoria, Tom McIntosh has offered assistance to Wellington Shire Council.
Loch Sport Golf Club President, Shaun Casley looks at the burnt bushland on the golf course.