Canberrans remember the haunting memories of the bushfires of January 18, 2003

On the day of the fires while I was recovering from my daughter Lara's birth it stayed dark as night in the hospital room all day due to the smoke.

As a midwife from Canberra Hospital I heard stories from the midwives staying at work - those who couldn't get home due to the fires and others who were still at work knowing they may have lost their homes. My family only visited for a short time as embers were landing on our deck at home and it was dangerous to be on the roads.

We will always remember the day as special to us but so sad to so many others. Lara - 20 years old today. Happy birthday.

I remember it well. My parents' place at the time was in Fadden hills, not far from the top near the bushland. I remember a large grass fire coming over the top of the hill, then watching embers as big as your hand fall from the sky, which was black as night. I spent most of that day plugging gutters and hosing embers and burning gum leaves from the roof. Next thing we knew houses were being lost in Duffy and I thought "sh** this is it mate..."

I lost my home in 2003 bushfire. When we went back the next day, my husband found this mug (which is one of the only things that weirdly survived in some way). I will never throw this away. I guess it is a weird family heirloom now. I found it both ironic but funny when you read "smile and the whole world smiles with you."

It was sort of our motto afterwards because after all what can you really do? Our home was in Holder. We did rebuild and moved back 15 months later.

I remember calling up Access Canberra on the morning of the fires asking if we should be worried in Gordon where the night before we were getting black embers from Tharwa way. They said no it's all fine. We were grocery shopping at 2pm in Hyperdome and noticed shops closing their shutters and people were running. We rushed home to Gordon and turned on the radio to hear the emergency warning siren. The top of our hill between Gordon and Bonython was on fire and a guy with a bobcat had made a fire break which saved our houses. A true hero! The other frightening thing was my son who was 7 at the time was in Belconnen visiting his aunty and he called me so scared and worried about me. My son's aunty and my mother-in-law had only just made it back across the Parkway to Belco from shopping in Woden before it was closed! It was like a warzone. I'll never forget it.

I remember my dad having to take the family car to the fire depot (he was a fire fighter). I was 13. I was on the roof watering it down watching the flames come over the top of the Ridge, and watching the glowing and blackened leaves fall around us, knowing that if we had to evacuate, that it would be on foot. I didn't see Dad or hear from him for two days (if memory serves me). We had no idea if he was ok. I didn't recognise him when he came home. He was so tired and black from head to toe.

I was 5 years old and our house in Gowrie became a safe house for everyone. I just remember the sky being so black. My grandparents lived in Duffy and family was over when the fire struck the suburbs. They all made it out. Luckily and forever grateful that my grandparents' house still stood.

I was being discharged from the Canberra Hospital with our new born baby then. He has just turned 20 years old. Driving home to Gilmore it was dark. Thinking of those that lost their lives on that day.

Like everyone vivid memories ... we were camping at the Cotter and got evacuated. It was a very scary drive out, couldn't see anything. I remember driving past the houses on Eucumbene Drive saying hope the fire doesn't reach here ... next day they were all gone.

We lived at the back of Holt, the sky was red, the police evacuated the kids and we stayed to save our family home but around 4pm the wind changed and the fire headed the other way it happened very quickly, horses were burnt on the fence I think it was the horses from Pegasus it was horrible, something that you never forget.

Defending the house until a policeman insisted we leave. First I had to catch two scared dogs. Left as showers of embers were falling and fire was all around us at Eucumbene Dr, Duffy. The traffic down Hindmarsh Dr was incredible, at a standstill, in the dark at 3:30pm, and amazingly, one guy in a car in front of us threw out his still lit cigarette. I honked the horn and he got out and collected it.

After defending my own home in Kambah as the firestorm burnt almost to our back fence...I spent a busy night as a paramedic treating patients and evacuating nursing homes in Weston Creek. After the tragedy of the deaths and injuries on the day, destroyed homes, burning cars along roads, blackened suburbs and the surrounding hills still on fire one memory stands out. We had to refuel the next morning in Manuka as there was no electricity in Woden and Tuggeranong. We were dirty & covered in soot, as was our ambulance. The cafes across the road from the servo were packed with southside patrons chatting, drinking coffee and all reading the CT about the firestorm over the hill...a scene of absolute normality while firefighting and recovery operations were still underway a few kilometers away on the other side of Red Hill.

I will never forget my drive through the horse paddocks at the end of Eucembene drive, looking for survivors after the horse paddocks were overrun. To find people lying in horse troughs to escape the flame, and still suffering significant burns, was overwhelming.

I remember feeling super tense, yet trying to be calm & playing down the intensity of it to the kids. The emergency siren was almost constant on the radio (I wouldn't turn the tv on) and terrified my oldest. It created a definite sense of fear for all of us.

My husband was in the house [in Kambah] and watched the windows blow in, furniture flying across the room from the direct hit from the tornado that was generated by the fires. No burning but the place was badly damaged. Took nearly a year to get it repaired. Such a sad time for our city. But people pulled together.

Working at the Urambi organic bakery the owner Tony Pham was a good guy he helped me and other staff make sandwiches and donated lots of bottled water and cakes etc to feed the firefighters while they were on the run - we piled it all in the car and delivered it to the control hub at Curtin oval. I also recall the little picture in The Canberra Times for the children to colour in and thank the firefighters - both of my children coloured them in and we delivered them to one of the fire stations, it may have been Phillip but I can't remember. They really enjoyed the experience and got to see a truck up close and wear a hat.

It was like an old Cowboys and Indians film; as I looked through the windstorm, I could see a line of red approaching at incredible speed. We scurried back to the truck and sheltered near its front corner with our hoses going. I can remember thinking "I wish I had a bigger hose!".

Through the swirling black clouds, the South-Care helicopter appeared above hovering just above the tree-tops. I looked up to see a couple of faces peering down at me from above. I guess I should have waved at them. Part of me wished that the helicopter would land and take me anywhere else. At another moment, I turned around and found two soot covered wallabies sitting next to me. In times of such crisis, it seems the animal kingdom does forget its natural aversion to mankind.

I was working as a kennel assistant at Weston Woden Animal Hospital on Dixon Drive, Holder on the morning of the bushfires. We had no idea of the threat that loomed and went about my duties at a full boarding kennel and cattery. I finished my shift around lunch time and returned to my then family home at Calder Crescent in Holder.

The skies quickly changed colour from an orange colour to black. Dad went up on the roof to hose down and I eventually got out of there with our dog to Deakin to my grandma's house. The drive there was the scariest moments I've encountered. As the afternoon went on, I quickly realised the severity of the situation and was trying to find out the fate of the animals at the boarding kennel. Sadly 40 plus animals (mainly dogs and cats) perished in the blaze. The staff at the time did what they could to bring them inside. There was really nothing they could do. It haunts me to this day.

I was at my 10th birthday party at Kambah pool. We all got evacuated and all my friends got picked up. Drove home to our house in Richardson with spot fires all along the sides of the road. My 9-year-old brother was up on our roof hosing and clearing the gutters because my mum was scared of heights. My dad was out fighting them with the RFS and I remember thinking I would never see him again.

Hosing down my family home while watching the hills and mountains around me burn. Embers flying around everywhere. A very terrifying experience. The sky went from blue, to red then black. Praying for the people in Weston Creek and those backing the nature reserves of Mount Taylor, Farrer Ridge.

Helen Griffiths

As we mark the anniversary and commemorate the lives lost, we're asking you to share your stories, videos or pictures from the 2003 fires. Please send submissions to online@canberratimes.com.au

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