Summary

Anita Norris, local resident and professional photographer, took this photograph from Eagles Nest Road, Arthurs Creek, looking towards Strathewen. It was taken in the aftermath of the Black Saturday Bushfires at 9.10am on Saturday 21 February, 2009. Anita recorded the barren scenes of destruction, and changes in the environment in the days and weeks following the fires, casting her creative eye on the decimation of the areas around her home.

Anita offered this photograph, along with another eleven images, 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. She was responsible for curating this event and instrumental in making it the success it was. This image was also published in the book 'Footsteps in the Ash' which documents St Andrews' and Strathewen's experiences during Black Saturday. This image is part of the the Victorian Bushfire Collection and is supported by an interview.

Description of Content

This colour digital photograph shows a lone cow dwarfed by the blackened ranges. In the foreground, the ground is covered in white ash, some eucalypts still retain leaves dehydrated by the intense heat, but the majority are only blackened sticks, revealing the bare form of the hills. The sky is white and bright with smoke, contrasting with the black hills. Anita took this image while taking a break from working at the Arthurs Creek CFA station - this was her first opportunity to drive up Eagles Nest Road. Even though Anita felt awkward, she knew that it was important to record the aftermath of the bushfires near and around her property. In documenting the physical effects of bushfire, this image also describes the dire impact on the pastoral industry following the bushfires. 'She's still wandering around. . . . But at least I saw that that was a cow alive because that would of been the only animal I saw. There was nothing'. [Interview, Anita Norris, 13 July 2010]

Physical Description

Digital photograph.

Significance

The bushfires of Black Saturday, 7 February 2009, caused significant loss of life and damage to personal and community property, and state infrastructure - and became the worst bushfire disaster in Australia's history. The Kilmore East fire swept over Mount Sugarloaf on Black Saturday destroying most of the small settlement of Strathewen and causing the largest loss of life of any community in Victoria. Despite the high death toll and widespread devastation, an astonishing number of creative projects have arisen to give comfort and help in the recovery efforts. This photograph is one of many that were used in a local photographic display and a publication which documented the many stories of loss and survival.

The image captures the direct and critical confrontation between the fire and livestock, highlighted by the aftermath of the event, what is remaining or not. This image documents the fire's intensity and reach, the many challenges and risks to wildlife, livestock and residents in the line of fire, damage caused to land and property, miraculous escapes and physical changes to the environment associated with natural disasters. It is an important and rare document of the photographer's personal experience as a local resident during Black Saturday.

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