Boorara. The final chapter.

I have just heard that Boorara Station has been  sold to the QLD government and will become part of a larger Currawinya national park.

I  have some mixed feelings about this. Certainly, something had to be done, and in terms of the environment, I  guess the outcome is good.  However, a well managed property can be better maintained that a national park. Sadly, the "lock it and leave it" mentality of governments rarely produces a good result.  By switching off the bores, the certainty  of watering points for  native wildlife becomes an issue.

The fact remains that the land is altered permanently  from its original state, and careful management to prevent weed infestations, as well as predatory animals (I  saw feral cats on the lake shores there), is vital.

The old bull catcher.

Can  the QLD government do it? I  don't know.  I  would like the  pioneers, and specifically the MaGrath family to  be recognised. Its the hard work of these families that  gave us the wealth  we have today.

The good news is, I  can  visit as often as I  like.

The bush fires are all but over and the boys did this...

Dave filmed his mates doing free style! All very  cool.

Fires. the worst in 45 years.

The worst  fire situation in 45 years, a state of emergency  declared and over 300klms of fire front. The risk in the next 48 hours will be that the fires of Bilpin/Mt Lagoon, jump containment lines and join with  the fire of Mt York and then into the Grose River Gorge.

With this potential, the fires could impact the Sydney  basin including Richmond and Penrith.

Below is a photo by Phil Hearne that has gone viral across the world. The fire fighters have gone for days without sleep and as such  catch  40 winks when they can.

Members of my  family  are rostered on tomorrow for fire duty and David is on to assist with the truck refit as required.

Our gutters are clean, down pipes blocked and all fire fighting equipment in place and on active standby.

Our neighbours are packing and leaving, and we have packed those items that mean a lot to us

Cheers.

Bushfires again!

This time last year we had fires close to the house. Yesterday,  as weather conditions deteriorated, a back burn got away. Here are some of the images courtesy  of the Sydney Morning Herald.

Roads were closed and houses lost as well as a couple of fire trucks. (see above)

Today the fires are under control but not without the concerted efforts of the Rural Fire brigades. This season is going to  be worse than  last  year I  think.

Spring!

The past few weeks have been a little intense, with a couple of melanomas being removed. Its a real bother, as I  had to  go and get one further removed as they  did not get it all. Tomorrow I have to  have a full body  scan, and there may  be one or two more.

A Garden Nome stands guard!

So, one of the things I am  finding a real pleasure is my  garden. I plant a lot of daisies last  year and they are really  coming on. I  also  planted lavender and the bees are really  enjoying that.

Ms Bee enjoying the work around the lavender

Native birds are also enjoying the native plants I  put in. Noticeably, the Lewins honeyeater, Wattlebird and Eastern Spinebill.

Bright Pig Face!

These are a few on the photos. The garden is starting to  take shape and is a real pleasure to sit in and enjoy.!

One of the native flowers.

Bush Fire Brigade

Some readers may  remember that  12 months ago we had a serious fire incident only  metres from our home. A National Parks hazard reduction got away, jumping containment lines and raced towards us via the Burralow and Wool Wash Creek.

Some of the tankers ready  for the competitions

I was all very  serious stuff, with  helicopters water bombing and the Rural Fire Service Tankers lined up in the street. To our relief the co-ordintationa and efforts of the teams prevented what  could have been are catastrophe from occuring.

Lads demonstrating how to  extinguish a fire.

Last  weekend, the various brigades got together for their annual competition to  see who were the outstanding performers and who had the best presented truck.

I am  pleased to  say  that, our brigade won- Grose Vale, and came 2nd for best  presented truck.

Dave sprinting back after unrolling a line.

It was quite exciting to watch  the younger guys roll out hoses, connect and put out a fire, then  roll up and store. There were various field events and the overall winner was decided based on a total aggregate time.

The winning crew at the end of the day!

It was a real community event and a vital one for our safety.

Note- to  those of you  who have commented in  recent weeks. HUGE thank you . I have not been  feeling up  to  blogging with a couple of health issues taking priority. Your support is much appreciated

The Reception

The reception was held at Wolfies in the Rocks area of Sydney. An old convict built wool store, it has fantastic views down the harbour and across to the Opera house.

Toms art

Kesia and Tom had some of their artwork on display, and the evening was a wonderful mixture of the traditional, (in speeches), with the modern/gothic. Kesias Mum created some fantastic table displays too.

Kesias art

Even the cake was different. A womans torso with a corset, top hat and raven skulls around the base.

The cake.

Perhaps the most  "confronting" artwork was a sculpture which  Tom created. Made from steel, its a full sized womans body, however the head has rams horns and a strong face like an alian. I  found it beautiful and confronting at the same time.

Toms sculpture of Kesia. You have to zoom in to see details of the face

Frankly, the whole wedding was a wonderful show, both  couples have a real commitment for each other, and they are truely  talented. I  am  so delighted to see my  son so happy, and delighted to have such a daughter-in-law

 Kesias portrait of Tom ( yes, he is that fit)