MY HEART GOES OUT TO EVERYBODY AFFECTED BY THE FIRES IN VICTORIA

Today my thoughts go out to all the people and animals affected by the devastating fires here in Victoria. Far too many lives have been lost and over 700 hundred houses burnt to the ground. It is a very frightening and emotional situation to be in but if you can get any good out of a situation like this, it has to be the way people band together to help each other and the way it brings communities together. What a pity we can't be like this in everyday life rather than a disaster bringing out these amazing qualities in the human race. We also tend to forget about all the native animals whose lives are also threatened by the fires or are badly burnt. Thankfully we have a lot of people on the lookout for these animals but unfortunely there are a lot that don't make it either. Once again my symphathy goes out to everybody that has lost loved ones or who find themselves homeless. I also would like to express my gratitude for the amazing job the firefighters do, these men and women work in horrendous conditions with many of them putting their own lives at risk to save others. THANKYOU. I am very grateful that my family and friends are all safe from the fires. On a previous fire my brother Craig and his wife Cheryl were evacuated from their house in the Basin so we have some idea of what a lot of people must be going through - not knowing if they will go back to nothing or their house will be standing. As I said it is very frightening and unfortuntely these fires appear to be the worst we have ever had in Victoria.

These natural disasters, or in this case more "man initiated" disasters certainly put everything in perspective and make the idea of simple living a lot more attractive. Enjoy the moment for what it is and take pleasure in the little things life has to offer.