Summary

Digital photograph taken by Mark Carmody, who is a supervisor of transmission lines for a company that is part of Powercor, and was taken at 8.38am, Monday, 9 February 2009.

Mark offered this photograph for inclusion in the community-led 'Bushfire Photo Exhibition', which featured thirty-five local photographs, at the Bridges Restaurant/Nursery, Hurstbridge, held between February and March 2010.

Description of Content

This aerial photo was taken from a patrol helicopter by Mark, mid-morning on Monday February 9th, two days after Black Saturday, 2009. Powercor had received reports of a pylon down on the main electricity supply line between Victoria and NSW, located on Bowden Spur. As a supervisor of transmission lines for Powercor, Mark was surveying the site in preparation for repairing the pylon. 'There was a report of a pylon down, on the Sunday after the fires... on the main line between Victoria and NSW, located on the Bowden Spur. It is rare that pylons fall over, last year (2010) saw five and in previous years there have been none. The tower in question was 428 on the number 1 line facing east... there were a lot of people attending the training session and so were able to workshop possible repair scenarios'. (Interview, Mark Carmody, 28 April, 2011) The melted and twisted remains of the pylon demonstrate the ferocity and heat of the fire, and the extreme winds that were experienced across Victoria on Black Saturday. A mountain range and some distant houses are in the background, and burnt out dams feature in the foreground. The burnt out ridge line and hills illustrate the wide spread nature of the fires.

Physical Description

Digital photograph.

Significance

The bushfires of Black Saturday, 7 February 2009 caused significant damage to personal, community and state infrastructure. This photograph provides visual evidence of how the fires affected and disrupted the power supply between Victoria and New South Wales due to the damaged pylons. The twisted and fallen pylon demonstrates the power of the Black Saturday bushfires, and, the effect they had on the environment and communities within its range.

It is also historically significant as it shows a rare occurrence of a pylon collapse due to the pressures of extreme heat and wind. Each of these images reveal and document the photographers own experience of the fires, imbuing each image with the personal reflection of a significant historical moment. Historical significance is embedded in the image as it reflects a moment in time when destruction was imminent, and, allows the photographer to reveal an individual interpretation of the direct impact of a bushfire.

Inclusion in the 'The Bushfire Photo Exhibition', held at Hurstbridge between February and March 2010 also adds to the significance of the image.

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