The Bush Fires- Our GSE Service Project

Rita Perea, Team Leader:  The moment we landed in Australia last week, we started to hear tragic tales about “Black Saturday”, February 7, 2009.  It was a hot summer Saturday evening and people were going about their business just living their normal lives.  In a matter of seconds, fire balls appeared in the air ravaging everything in their paths… businesses, homes, animals and people.  It was determined that the fires were deliberately set by an arsonist.  The propellant quality of the sap in the gum trees ignited and fueled the fires making them spread uncontrollably.

The entire town of Marysville, a quaint little “honeymoon town” which attracted tourists, was leveled by the fires. Nothing was left standing. In all, 34 people lost their lives.  The photos above show the scene 6 weeks after the fires occurred. The rebuilding efforts are far from over even today, 12 months later.

Today my team and I have the privilege to provide service to the people of the fire-ravaged region by building an irrigation system for the new village vegetable gardens.  We believe that this will be the most meaningful part of our trip as we truly live the “Service Above Self” motto. We are looking forward to the opportunity to make a difference for the kind people of Australia.