News & Updates from Vicki Avcin ~ AusCrafts · Page 71
15 years ago I said I do to the love of my life. A man who loves me unconditionally, a man who supports me in everything I do and a man who I never thought Id find.
Peter came into my life 21 years ago when I was just getting settled as a single mum of 3 and when I never contemplated being in another relationship.
In return I love him unconditionally and support him in everything and he too had no plans to be in another relationship.
Pete had 2 boys and it was through his 2 boys being friends with my 2 boys that we met.
Living on acreage the kids would drive an old bush basher around the paddock when one of them drove into the fence one day.
I was wondering how I would fix the fence when his boys said Dad will fix it. He works at a wire place so he can get the wire and fix it. Sure enough their Dad turned up and fixed the fence.
We sat and had a coffee afterwards and while discussing things, found out that our paths had probably crossed many times but due to such diverse previous lifestyles, we just simply hadnt met.
Both of us had walls up greater than the Great Wall of China and so the friendship was very guarded on both our parts.
Gradually those walls started to break down a little until one night (14th February – Valentines Day) when there was a few kids at my place celebrating the birthday of one of them, the first moves were made and we both realised that there was the possibility of the friendship going further.
I called Pete my Mills and Boon man……. You know…..the ones in the books that are always too good to be true. His support, friendship and love were something Id always wanted but never thought Id find.
Our wedding which was held at home, was perfect, celebrated with family, friends and a fire brigade. Our reception has been said (and still is to this day) the best wedding people have been to.
So 15 years down the track, we have lived up to the words for better for worse we have 10 beautiful grandkids, and we look forward to seeing what the next 15 years brings us.
The September school holidays finish this week (2 weeks) and trying to keep the kids busy is always fun. These holidays saw the shopping centre in Townsville put on a Jurassic Park with life size dinosaurs and the kids could decorate/paint a 3D dinosaur.
So our son and daughter in law took our grandkids down to have a look. Bella was not impressed with the roaring and the movement until it was explained to her that the brontosaurus only ate plants and never people.
Even then she was a little hesitant but they managed to get her to stand just long enough for a photo but she much preferred the painting.
She kept a safe distance from all the other dinosaurs. Nathaniel was OK with it all and baby Clay well, he just slept through the whole experience.
Well my news last week spoke about the huge fire I was at and we have now found out the statistics on the fire which crews were still at 5 days later.
I attended on 2 of those days and was told that the Thursday I was there was the worst of the days.
On the Thursday the fire travelled 10 klms. Now that might not seem a lot but when you take into consideration that the 10 klm was from point to point in distance, it burnt over ridges and down gullies as well as across relatively flat pasture topographically.
It burnt 10,000 hectare (2.47 acres = 1 hectare). Those hectares are grazing country so no pasture for cattle to graze on at all now. There were no houses lost but if you look at the photo you can see how close it came to many of them so the crews did an awesome job defending those properties.
There were only 5 sheds lost which was excellent considering how many sheds farms have for various things like machinery and to store feed etc.
Sadly there was 480 head of livestock that were lost which, to the farmers is a huge loss. The second day I was down there I was tasked to black out areas still burning which posed a threat had the wind picked up and blew embers into unburnt ground.
Fortunately on Tuesday while crews were still patrolling, making sure that everything was still secure the area received some light rain, and then yesterday (Wednesday) they had some heavier rain with more forecast today which will hopefully put out any small pockets in inaccessible terrain but within containment lines.
It is the biggest fire we have had in the area for a few years and with the drought conditions around the district, it could be a (bad) sign of what is ahead this fire season.
The community is helping the community with drinking water and cattle feed being donated to the affected properties. Most places are on tank water so before water can be drunk or used, roofs have to be cleaned to stop soot and other contaminants going into the tanks.
Power is nearly restored now also to the area.
Aussie farmers are a tough breed so they will take it on the chin, be grateful that it wasnt worse and slowly bounce back.
The biggest and best reward for us as firefighters is a hug from the property owner saying thanks for saving the house.
This week I have been at a monster fire at a little place called Woolooga. The fire broke out on Wednesday and grew rapidly with around 700 hectares burnt.
On most shifts there is excess of 50 trucks and roughly min of 160 firefighters covering the vast area that this fire is ravaging.
I was part of a strike team yesterday and it had grown to over 1600 hectares, this morning approx 4500 hectares.but the total area burnt hasnt been fully calculated yet.
The country is so dry and mainly grazing properties so any land burnt means no feed for cattle (loss of income to property owners).
Many many properties were put under threat as well as cattle, horses, pigs, goats plus sheds, many of which were full of hay for the animals.
Fortunately we had our Saviours in the Sky in the form of air observers and 2 water bombing helicopters.
These awesome guys respond to our call for help within minutes and can dump water on the head of the fire to slow the rate of forward spread just enough to get ground crews in to tackle the fire.
Not every property can expect a fire truck to turn up so air observations can tell them if a house is under threat and the water bombers can get their quicker than we can.
They can greatly assist the guys on the ground if the fire is moving quicker than the firefighters can attack it too and it saves putting firefighters in more danger than they already face fighting the fire.
So to hear the thud thud thud coming from above is music to our ears as a firefighter. They sound an alarm, that can be heard on the ground, to warn us before they dump the load. Getting hit by the dump will be like getting hit by a bus!
Their accuracy for their target is extraordinary and yesterday we even watched them dump their load in front of a herd of cattle to turn them around and stop them from heading into the fire.
As I write this no lives or houses have been lost but several sheds have been lost with reports that one property had stock loss and injuries, very sad.
Without these air support planes/helicopters that would all be a very different story.
I wish I could add a video of these guys at work but I cant so will have to make do with the pictures.
Someone once told me that the older you get the quicker time flies by. Well I think its true. Only seems like last year that our little grandson Axl was born. Now hes 3 already. Where has the time gone. At 3 years of age he loves spiders and dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs have been in favour for a couple of years now but spiders are a new interest. I can entertain dinosaurs but not a fan of spiders so not sure where he got that from as both his father and poppy have severe reactions if bitten, definitely not a favourite with the big kids.
He is having a birthday party next weekend and of course it is a dinosaur themed party. As I always do cards for the grandies in the theme of what their interests are each year guess what Im doing today?
I do the theme each year so that as they grow older they can reflect on what their interests where at each age.
I dont think we will be able to make it down for his party but we will try.