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Australian wildfires consume guitar enthusiast's prized collection


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Posted

Australian wildfires consume guitar enthusiast's prized collection

 

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BATEMANS BAY, Australia (Reuters) - Australian Michael Hillman fled from harrowing bushfires that hit the beachside town of Malua Bay on New Year’s Eve, only to be faced with a scene of devastation when he returned on Friday.

 

The inferno that razed his home destroyed 65 of 70 Hofner guitars, some long out of production and others precious for their sentimental value, in a collection Hillman had amassed over 20 years.

 

“My friend next door, whom I am recording an album with, his house is OK, so some of our music might be saved,” Hillman, a retiree, told Reuters. “I’ve got a couple of my guitars here.”

 

Bushfires this season have killed at least 18 people in Australia, scorched more than 5 million hectares (13 million acres) of land and destroyed more than 1,300 homes.

 

Originally from Melbourne, Hillman and his partner Chrissie moved to Malua Bay, near Batemans Bay in the state of New South Wales, to retire three years ago after they fell in love with the neighborhood on their honeymoon 30 years ago.

 

Now staying in temporary accommodation, Hillman consoles his family by playing one of the five guitars he managed to save, strumming a song he wrote for Chrissie called “Reach Out”.

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-03
  • Sad 1
Posted

Would it be impossible or not viable to get rid of all trees & vegetation that surrounds housing/buildings in these fire-prone areas, create a permanent fire-break!? Also, there are lots of wooden houses in Australia.

  • Like 1
Posted
Just now, giddyup said:

When a raging bushfire is in the vicinity lots of embers are blown into eaves, gutters etc even if the house block is clear of vegetation. People live in these rural areas for the beauty, and sometimes there's a price to be paid for that.

These fires have been happening for a long time now (yes I know that they happen all the time anyway!). wasn't it about 7 or 8 years ago there was a really bad one in the Melbourne area?

I meant clearing all the trees/vegetation for many miles around, lots of Oz is virtually devoid of the stuff anyway. 

(I spent a few years working in the outback).

  • Sad 1
Posted
3 minutes ago, tifino said:

 

guess he wasn't really in tune with his surroundings... 

 

 

bet a lot of outsiders don't know, that typical joe blow aussie farmers aren't allowed to willy nilly knock trees down, without getting permission first.

Can't cut your own tree down on your own land, as you get cast as an environmental vandal

the greenies and the environmentalist cronies have got blood on their hand because of this.

Wasn't it a farmer a few years back who shot and killed a council environmental guy when he came out to his farm and was proceeding with legal action because the farmer cleared and burnt the logs on his farm. 

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Posted

Wood contains cellulose, which is inflamable and serves no purpose in the life of the tree other than to enable fire. Bush fires must be nature's way to preserve the species.

 

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Posted
15 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

These fires have been happening for a long time now (yes I know that they happen all the time anyway!). wasn't it about 7 or 8 years ago there was a really bad one in the Melbourne area?

I meant clearing all the trees/vegetation for many miles around, lots of Oz is virtually devoid of the stuff anyway. 

(I spent a few years working in the outback).

Why would you move to a rural area where there might be forests of trees and then clear it all?  The areas that "are devoid of the stuff" don't have bushfires because there's nothing to burn. Ever heard of bushfires in Coober Pedy or Alice Springs?

  • Haha 2
Posted
13 hours ago, steven100 said:

the greenies and the environmentalist cronies have got blood on their hand because of this.

Wasn't it a farmer a few years back who shot and killed a council environmental guy when he came out to his farm and was proceeding with legal action because the farmer cleared and burnt the logs on his farm. 

Yeah, why don't we just deforest the entire planet and concrete it?

  • Like 1
Posted

it's a bit of a catch 22 situation ....  people move to the bush because they like the trees and surrounds yet it is a fire risk.  simple really.

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Posted
19 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

Would it be impossible or not viable to get rid of all trees & vegetation that surrounds housing/buildings in these fire-prone areas, create a permanent fire-break!? Also, there are lots of wooden houses in Australia.

another expert on Australian bush fires.The embers can carry for over I klm. The intense heat will make a home explode inside. Not to mention the  "FIREBALLS" created from the vapor of the eucalyptus trees.. There is also alot of brick homes still burn.

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
18 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

These fires have been happening for a long time now (yes I know that they happen all the time anyway!). wasn't it about 7 or 8 years ago there was a really bad one in the Melbourne area?

I meant clearing all the trees/vegetation for many miles around, lots of Oz is virtually devoid of the stuff anyway. 

(I spent a few years working in the outback).

2009 , had the black Saturday fires , I lived in a brick home and it was destroyed . No clearing of the land could stop it , fireballs , what happened the curtains in the home ignited from the intense heat and the gas bottles exploded .

Posted
2 hours ago, steven100 said:

it's a bit of a catch 22 situation ....  people move to the bush because they like the trees and surrounds yet it is a fire risk.  simple really.

People who move to the coast because they like it , a tsunami could hit the coast , disasters happen all around the world.Simple really

  • Like 2
Posted
3 minutes ago, kevvy said:

People who move to the coast because they like it , a tsunami could hit the coast , disasters happen all around the world.Simple really

correct ....   and are you going to buy a place in the bush and then clear a 100m radius around the house ?

I don't think so ....   

  • Like 1
Posted
2 minutes ago, steven100 said:

correct ....   and are you going to buy a place in the bush and then clear a 100m radius around the house ?

I don't think so ....   

I had a home in the bush and had clearing , and still my brick home was destroyed. So you know everything ,It was 2009 fires ..

Posted

These so called experts really give me the sh**s, they think they know what do to do in a fire , they know nothing till they actually are in one and your family lives are at risk.  Geez  , wake up... Fires dont just burn your home when it reaches the front door. !!! Watch this and you might understand

 

Posted

Very sad for all of the Aussies suffering out there. My thoughts are with you.

Sodd this guy and his guitars, people are loosing their lives, their livelihoods, their entire homes and savings.

Surely the pratt had insurance on such an expensive collection?

  • Like 2
Posted
25 minutes ago, kevvy said:

I had a home in the bush and had clearing , and still my brick home was destroyed. So you know everything ,It was 2009 fires ..

OK, yes I remember those fires being on the news. 

Some years ago I was in QLD where they were doing a controlled burn off, around 2012 I think.

Posted
3 hours ago, giddyup said:

Why would you move to a rural area where there might be forests of trees and then clear it all?  The areas that "are devoid of the stuff" don't have bushfires because there's nothing to burn. Ever heard of bushfires in Coober Pedy or Alice Springs?

No, and I've spent time in both places.

Posted
3 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

No, and I've spent time in both places.

Then that's where you'd live instead of "clearing vegetation for many miles around" and having all of Australia look like Coober Pedy.

Posted
2 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

It's OK they were only Hofners. The 5 year old family car would have been worth more than the whole collection.

Perhaps not in sentimental value. A photo album is pretty much worthless to anybody except the owner.

  • Like 1
Posted
5 hours ago, jobsworth said:

Wood contains cellulose, which is inflamable and serves no purpose in the life of the tree other than to enable fire. Bush fires must be nature's way to preserve the species.

 

it (the annual bushfire) is a natural part of the reproductive cycle of the aussie gumtree...  

The GumSeed dropped under the groundcover foilage; uses the heat and scorch of those fire, to go on to it's next stages of germination

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