Are you guy's and gal's ok? Please if you can let us know you are all ok and not effected by these fires.

They suspect it is ARSON!!!! >:(

Here is the latest from CNN...

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Thanks Barry, things is really a bit crook right now. Because I live in the far north of the country I'm not affected by the fires ravaging the south. I'm lucky and I'm only floodbound.

We've already had more that our average annual rainfall and it's only six weeks into the year. There's been a few deaths - mainly people trying to cross rivers they shouldn't even be near, and a five-year-old taken by a croc.

Our hearts go out to our southern cousins and we wish them only the best so we can again flog them at footy. Australia is a wonderful country, just unforgiving.

Stay safe and dry Brian, and we share your sorrow for your countrymen who've lost homes, lives, family, and friends.

Thanks Barry
All fine on the western front here but a little concerned about Kate in Oz, she lives, from memory around the Bendigo area north east of Melbourne & thats where a lot of the fires are.
I sent her a PM but havnt heard back as yet, if I dont hear soon I'll send an Email as I know she's pain free at the moment & may not be checking in on CH.com.

Cheers
Barry

Sending our prayers, the tv footage in the states is heart breaking.

Joe

Gotta agree with Joe.  The news footage we are seeing here in the US is totally heartbreaking.

Glad to know you are safe, Brian but our hearts go out to those in the area of the fires. :'(

Thanks Barry for your concern.

I am about 3000 kms North of the bush fire so I am safe but we have had a few days of soaring heat waves. Yesterday was terrible, I was glad to be at work in aircond all day.

Its the worst bushfire ever in Australia and death toll has reached more than 100. There were several fires started by arsons ! Those should really be caught and tried for mass murder !

At work we have raised some money to send to help those affected. I cant fathom the loss these people are experiencing. Its devastating !

Just an update, I havn't heard from Kate & her Email addy spat back so she may not have comunications right now, all we can do is hope.

A little more on the fires: here's a link to a story of one of the innocent victoms of the fires, its a vidio of a CFA officer finding a wild Koala that survived the fire & accepted a drink from the officer, touching piece.

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cheers
Barry

Our prayers. [smiley=engel017.gif]

Questions for the Aussies:

Are your wild fires caused by forest mismanagement like they are here in the USA? We spent 100 years putting out every natural fire to get us into this mess. Now every forest is a powder keg ready to go off. We even almost killed off the Redwoods because they need fire to reproduce.

  They found out too late that the American Indians used to burn both forest and prairie regularly to protect themselves. I wonder if the Aboriginals did the same thing.

Just wondering.

Paul

You’ve hit the nail on the head Paul.
The aboriginals have for centuries practiced land management the way the Indians did & the white fella’s that “manage" our land haven’t learned to listen to these people.

Here in the Pilbara they still use these techniques; and we don’t have wild fires like they do where the authorities control the land & forests.

In my job I communicate constantly with the indigenous groups who have ancestral ties to the land of their birth, their word for the land is “country”, they have this incredible inbuilt knowledge of the land, the weather & when it is just right to burn & when the next rains come the country comes back to life in abundance & some people have the Gaul to call them primitive.
I’ll now get off my soap box & return to normal programming.

Cheers
Barry

Such a tragedy....so many lives and properties lost.

You all stay safe.....

Barry,   That picture of the guy giving water out of a bottle to that Kolala bear hit the front page of my local paper in California.  In spite of the devastation and loss, that pic.  was truly heart-warming.  

Anyone heard from Jaz?

I'm so gald everyone here is okay...still hoping to hear from Kate!!  You'd think they'd figure it out...it's really not that hard, right?  We learned about that in 2nd grade!!

Keeping you all, koalas, kangaroos and all the other fabulous creatures in our thoughts and prayers!!!

:)

An update on what's happening.

I still haven’t heard from Kate yet & I sent a PM to Jazz but until they log on they won't know.

Fortunately they are getting cooler weather over there now & in some areas rain & drizzle that's helping the CFA people do some back burning & creating some control lines.

I'm off to Perth tomorrow to get cataracts removed from one eye & will be away for a little over 2 weeks but will try to drop in when I can.

You lot behave while I’m gone.

Cheers
Barry

Best of luck on your surgery, Barry.  Check in with us when you are comfortable and when you can, k?

We'll miss you for sure.

Barry_T_Coles wrote on Feb 11^th, 2009 at 10:42pm:

An update on what's happening. I still haven’t heard from Kate yet & I sent a PM to Jazz but until they log on they won't know. Fortunately they are getting cooler weather over there now & in some areas rain & drizzle that's helping the CFA people do some back burning & creating some control lines. I'm off to Perth tomorrow to get cataracts removed from one eye & will be away for a little over 2 weeks but will try to drop in when I can. You lot behave while I’m gone. Cheers Barry

Good luck with surgery... Prayers and vibes coming your way... hurry back.

with warm regards,
Tony

Police have charged a man with arson, but it's likely there were others as well.

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So glad to hear you are ok guy's. Our hearts out to those much less fortunate :'(

Thanks for the update Brian, very, very sad. :'( :'(