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Deidre Hunter interviewed by Mary Hutchison in the Canberra Bushfires 2003 oral history project [sound recording]
Bib ID 3524470
Format AudioAudio
Author
Hunter, Deirdre
 
Access Conditions Written permission is required for research use, personal copies and public use during the lifetime of the interviewee. 
Description 2005. 
4 digital audio tapes (ca. 202 in.) 
Series

Canberra Bushfires 2003 oral history project

Summary

Deidre Hunter, a retiree, speaks about the location of her property; the rural community and issues; fire awareness; the problem of being located on and across a state border; her East Gippsland background and family history; her husband's illness at the time of the fires; the long experience of bushfires in the area; the lightning strikes in Brindabellas leading up to January 18; waking, morning of Saturday, Jan.18, to see Mount Tennant on fire; her immediate response; communications; police cordons; two-way radios; Canberra media; liaising with fire fighters by phone, fire tankers parked on property; the fire at Angle Crossing; the chaos of the day; contact with hospitals and issue of care for husband; son Tim's role in fire on Saturday; pattern of burning in immediate locality; concern about and watching for possible flare-ups over next two weeks; contact with neighbours over next few days; issue of different fire authorities, orders and local response to these; the responsibilities of living in a community; pre-Saturday belief that ACT government would manage the fire; their plans for getting out.

Hunter discusses the difficulty of not knowing what the fire would do; lack of visibility, heat; continuation of burning and area burnt; stock issues; her observations of varied responses to disaster; local fire brigade and fire fighting jurisdictions on the N.S.W./A.C.T. border; phases of fire experience: adrenalin rush, anguish, anger and sorrow; community expectations of authorities; political issues around local firefighting; the official chain of command versus local initiative; Recovery Centres and Woden Community Service; the fire situation in Canberra, lack of warning; trust in authorities; anniversary activities; emotional responses to fire; wider community responses to the fire; reports and inquiries; key roles of Michael Lonergin and Val Jeffrey; insurances; ACT government's management of pines and maintenance of plantations at time of fires; traditional management of fires started by lightning strike; National Parks; Royal Commission; the ACT Coronial Inquiry; loss of cultural heritage in fires; talk about the fires coming and going with the seasons; fire being a normal expectation in the country or bush/city interface.

Biography/History

Dierdre Hunter lived on a property on the Murrumbidgee on the border of N.S.W. and the A.C.T at the time of the 2003 bushfires. Her house was not damaged by the fires but was surrounded by them on January 18, 2003 and for several weeks afterwards.

Notes

The project is being conducted in association with Canberra Museum and Art Gallery.

Recorded on April 26, 2005 and May 6, 2005 at Tharwa, A.C.T.

Digital master; National Library of Australia, Oral History collection;

Index/Finding Aid Note Timed summary (10 p.) 
Subjects Hunter, Deirdre. - Interviews.  |  Rural women - New South Wales - Interviews.  |  Forest fires - Australian Capital Territory - Anecdotes.  |  Natural disasters - Australian Capital Territory.
Other authors/contributors Hutchison, Mary  |  Canberra Museum and Art Gallery

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    Details Collect From
    ORAL TRC 5105/16
    Copy: Recording
    Petherick Reading Room (Oral History)
    ORAL TRC 5105/16 (summary)
    Copy: Summary
    Petherick Reading Room (Oral History)

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    Members of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori communities are advised that this catalogue contains names and images of deceased people. All users of the catalogue should also be aware that certain words, terms or descriptions may be culturally sensitive and may be considered inappropriate today, but may have reflected the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written.