No, Scott Morrison, my husband does NOT want to be fighting fires this summer!
I have been blogging now for eight years. This is the first time I have ever reblogged someone else’s post. Meg McGowan has written an extraordinary post that exposes the shortcomings of our government (in particular our Prime Minister) as well as some of the hardships, shortages and disadvantages faced by our saintly Australian firefighters. Please take the time to read her post and the comments, and share it as widely as you can.
Update: This post has now had more than 20,000 views. Thank you to everyone that’s sharing it. I wish I’d put this link up before I published. For anyone wanting to donate to the Rural Fire Service, please make a donation directly to your local brigade if you have one. If you don’t have one you can make a donation here:
DONATE TO THE RFS
I’m sorry if I don’t respond to all your messages. I’m sure you understand.
HERE’S THE ORIGINAL BLOG POST:
This photo was taken ten hours ago. The man in the middle of the photo in the red braces is my husband, Graham King. He’s fighting fires today as a volunteer. His shift won’t be over for a few more hours.
When I saw this photo, posted by our friend David Glover on our local community page, I briefly had the thought that if anything happens…
View original post 2,085 more words
Where to next? 
I understand that Scott Morrison’s nickname has changed from ‘Scomo’ to ‘Smoko’!
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How fitting.
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As I read lately, the fires near Sydney have been uncontrolled, so it is that the city is covered with a dense cloud of smoke. Even said there were 4 dead. Your husband’s work as a volunteer is commendable and I deserve all my respect for that human detachment. Hopefully soon they control it and return to normal. Regards.
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There are fires all over Queensland and New South Wales. It’s heartbreaking and dangerous. The volunteer fireman is the husband of the woman who first posted the blog item.
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Instead of trying to protect the rights of Hillbilly churches, Scomo/Smoko, how about protecting our land and save the climate?
By the way, if you ever wonder what happens to same sex children, sometimes they become the world’s youngest prime minister.
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Yay for Iceland.
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I have no words . . . . .
A.
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I’m glad Meg McGowan said it for us.
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Yes. My niece and husband and their horses had to be evacuated (up near Coffs) but they are back home safe. For now 😦
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Relieved to know they are safe. The ‘for now’ is so ominous and worrying.
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What a job! I am full of admiration for all firefighters, volunteers & professional, those wildfires look pretty terrifying.
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Thanks Emma. The firefighters and so many residents are experiencing the most horrific times ever.
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I bet. They could clearly do with a lot more funding, not less. When are people going to reject the lies of the right-wing press and use their common sense? If there’s been a drought for the past 5 years it stands to reason wildfires are very likely.
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Amazing how the right-wing press and followers hold so much sway.
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Such a powerful indictment
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And so well delivered.
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An important Read; Click on the link above “Smarter Then Crows.” I have been following some of the NSW fires and especially the area of Canberra (and saw the YouTube video of this cities fire in 2003).
Absolutely scary to watch and the story behind it. This post and blog “NO Scott Morrison, my husband does NOT want to be fighting fires this summer”… adds another level of information on firefighters who unselfishly devote their time and “Life Threatening RISK” of fighting fires. And the government, does not even consider providing better equipment/additional equipment for firefighters… sad.
I hope all the firefighters in Australia (including the volunteers from Canada and USA) return home safely!
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Thanks Sy, I wish there was a button for me to click to ‘love’ to your comment. Our government has been so slow to react and the public is getting angrier and angrier. The firefighters are scathing too. Let’s hope something will change for the better.
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A passionate piece indeed, Peggy. I am not on Facebook, but have shared the post on Twitter.
And this one too)
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks Pete. Every share in any way helps to spread the word. This government needs to be called to account.
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Here is more about Australia, climate change and the challenges facing rural Australians. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/08/world/australia/water-drought-climate.html
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Thanks so much for the link. It’s a great article and one of too many that discuss our situation.
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Thanks for the link, when clicking on it, the NYTimes asks for a subscription to open and read (which I do not have). However, people can read about some of the contents within this link/article (I guess) by Googling: Australia water drought climate . Then go to the area “People also ask” and then open up various comments on the above subject. Another must read, on Australia!
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Oh darn. Poor John does subscribe to the New York Times, so I could access it. Many thanks for figuring out a work-around.
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One of the most important articles to be written. Politicians and “leaders” all over the world are attracting attention with their conspiracy nonsense to distract us from dealing with the truly significant global issues, like climate change and impending global devastation. “Oh look, see the shiny bauble.” The world is on fire. Volunteers are the line of defense in Australia – how sad that this country of so much possibility is mired in so much extravagant waste. Reminds me of my own country.
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Thanks Sharon. It is a remarkable post. Heartbreaking that both of our countries are served by such hopeless leaders.
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Oh Peggy, I saw the news about the fires and the pictures of the air quality in the city. This article was an eye opener about the lack of support that firefighters on your continent are laboring under. The US is up against impossible odds, as your country is, to save the people, lands and animals lost in devastating forest fires. The leadership fails on so many levels.
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Besides rain and lots of it, we need responsible leaders.
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Yes. I wholeheartedly agree.
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Reading the following summarize everything:
“And then I hear those who are supposed to lead our communities say that we don’t deserve the best equipment and that we don’t need financial support, and I feel like walking away. But I don’t, because I know that if I did, then just like Nero, our leaders would let us burn.”
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And such a frightening summary.
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Thanks Peggy. I went to the full post. It’s enough to make you scream in anger.
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I’m screaming too.
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We have these issues. A friend in the Texas panhandle lost 1500 head of cattle in “an unintentional barbecue.” As regards firefighters, they are the heroes. We hear a lot about first responders and I’ve got no beef with the police who show up to clean up after it’s too late to stop whatever it was. But firefighters? Those people walk into hell to slow down disaster. They are the real “first responders.”
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Oh Phil, I don’t think anyone will ever say it better than you. Firefighters are our true heroes. If you are interested, it’s worth reading ‘Men of Fire’.
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I truly empathize, Peggy and admire the firefighters so much. We once had forest fires very close to our house and it was terrifying. They left the firehouse doors open and people just brought endless food and drink for the wonderful volunteer firemen and women. Firefighters are almost always the first responders when we have car accidents.
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Firefighters are almost always our first responders too.
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Firemen are the true heroes – these days i’ve been so worried about all my dear friends in beautiful Sydney. we better do something about our environment or, i fear, we won’t have an environment to exist in. continue…
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Still unbelievable that some world leaders pay lip service to the issue.
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criminals.
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Definitely.
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I cannot add anything to what everyone else has already said but to endorse the firefighter’s bravery and commitment to fighting the fires …Such a sad state of affairs it is criminal all this inaction by the government…
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Yes, the lack of action is criminal.
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My hat! When I was young, lightning burned our house. All went, nothing left – except memories. That’s life.
Thank you for this post.
Have a nice day!
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Thanks for sharing your experience. Lightning can be so scary. Our house was hit in 1984, but it hit the flue of the wood stove, so didn’t destroy the house.
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Awesome, but happy ending.
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It was for us.
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Peggy, thank you for sharing this post. While heartbreaking it’s a reminder that everyone, especially our leaders, needs to use care in the words we choose. Although this may sound a bit snarky, it’s no surprise to me when politicians say things in an attempt to relate to the majority when in actuality they are unaware because many of them seem to lack empathy. I hope you and Poor John are well and enjoying your time in Taiwan.
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Thanks for stopping by. Leadership in Australia is at an all-time low in my opinion. And the empathy is artificial. Waiting for the next election. Taiwan is great.
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You’re welcome.
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Definitely need to read this. You just be safe wherever you are, my friend, and I pray the fire gets under control soon! It sounds like the California Camp Fire–the one that swept over the town of Paradise and practically killed the town. And as it’s Christmas Eve here in the Midwest–A Blessed Christmas to you and yours! xxxxx
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Thanks Jean, a blessed Christmas to all of you too. So you have an idea of the magnitude of our fires: the California fires burnt 81,000 hectares in 2019. So far we have 5 million hectares burnt.
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HOLY LORD. Is there any way to build a firebreak somehow? Whatever that term is to create a border around the fire so it’s nothing to catch onto and at least gets contained?
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The firefighters are struggling to contain so many fires. Some of the terrain makes it impossible create breaks. Our east coast is on fire. What do you do with a fire front spanning more than 100 miles?
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My husband and I live on the south coast of NSW. in the fire zone. The fires stretch from the Victorian border to the border of Queensland and beyond. We have an escape plan for ourselves and our animals should the need arise. A sizeable amount of the south coast is National Wildlife Reserve and National Parks. As I write, there are 91 incidents in this state alone. So far well over 800 homes have been lost. Two volunteer firefighters have lost their lives/ The loss of wildlife and habitat is beyond estimation at this point in time.
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Thanks for putting adding some perspective. It will help people to better understand the magnitude of these fires. I hope your home remains safe.
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Thank you leggypeggy for your concern. Australia has a long history of extreme bush fires, going back to the 1800s,but when I read the history or the Rural Fire Service, this is the worst on record
As I write there are 81 incidents in new south wales alone..10 are out of control. However these numbers can change in minutes depending on wind changes.
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It’s going to be a very long summer in Australia. We well remember the Canberra fires of 2003 and the South Coast fires in 1994. And as you say, things can change in minutes.
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Thank you for this great post! I really enjoyed reading it! I have recently published an article on my blog regarding my thoughts on Scott Morrison and his leadership during Australia’s bushfire crisis. If you have time, it would be great if you could check out my post as I would be really interested to hear your thoughts! Thanks 🙂
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