VIC bush fires

My heartfelt sympathies to all involved it is a tragedy Have just heard that friends in kinglake are safe and well but a workmate's father in law has lost his house and several friends have lost family it is almost incomprehensible As my wife has just said when it is all over will anybody be untouched stay safe

I am a personal friend of Sam, i may of met Tina, i am not sure, but it really hit home when i saw Sam and Snowy on the TV being interviewed with tears in their eyes, not affraid to say thats exactly what happened to me

Through all this, all the people that have rung me to see if i was ok other than my father have been fellow VANNERS from around the country. Not even my sisters have rung me. Thanks for your thoughts my vanner friends

Hi All,
Ive been at work all day, ive gone from highs to lows as more and more I hear of people I know affected further. Last I heard of Tina was this morning with sam on TV wanting to get through, then an hour later tv had her neighbours saying they saw her go back in.... bloody hell i hope she and the kids survived. sam my heart it deep mate.....
But I have also just found this site that lists Tina wilson x 2 with no town, so please let it be tina
http://www.daftdoggy.com/bushfire/survivorssmry.php?grpperpage=ALL

i have heard many things like:
kilmore fires
fires crossed 20kms in 6minutes, thats 200kms an hour folks
Kinglake
know the bloke who drove the bulldozer up, he is sharttered with all the cars he pushed off the road with bodies.
Buxton
My mates house was saved by the helicopters. Four houses together, to gone two standing with the fire 15m from his house
Our farm Drouin
got to within 100m of the sheds and house
Heathcote junction
Mate might be abour to loose his house as i type
Yarra valley
Driving home I same the yarra glen and Healsville fires from lower plenty road Viewbank, thats under 40kms away (as birds fly)

Please stay safe people, get waht you want now and dont second guess it, get out.

How do we even comprehend this.... no true words to describe...
mex

What can we say, Floods in Queensland with a little 5 year old boy being taken by a croc in flood waters, with more rain yet to come to the terrible bush fires down south, Its with a heavy heart that I feel for the many fellow Australians who have lost so much.

Is hard to believe how fast it has moved.
Heard from Monk this morning and everything is fine there.
Unfortunatly i don't know of Tina and her family, BUT i just hope that for all her friends, that the Tina Mex spoke about is one of the two named on the list.

The missus saw on the news, that a young fella had spent $20K on a van and it went up in the fires.
Wandong area on a butcher's wage.
Hope it's no-one on this forum.

can't say i know who it is, poor bugger

i saw that report. i think his name is Joe, if so i think he was one that rang to get an entry form about a week ago as he had just finish the van and was going to do the reg this week. dought he had insurance tho.

NOW THAT WOULD PISS YA RIGHT OFF

you said it.

I still can't confirm this, but it is fairly certain:
Some rodders have gotten through to Tina's place. They found 9 people in her house, she had sprinklers around. Last Sam (her partner) heard from her was when she was turned back and headed back to the house, her neighbours saw them go back in, the neighbours some how survived. Even to the end Tina was a caring loving person. I draw some confort in knowing she passed with the kids close to her (as they were never far) and the fact that in her hour of need she was helping others. I can't really describe what I'm feeling, still too raw to describe, but we have all felt similar losses at some point.
Please reflect on those who you care about and love, cherish every moment with family and friends (well ok not every moment thats impossible). For me I got a hug from both Tina and Teagan at the rod show and a "see you soon have fun till then".
mex

Our thoughts are with you guys,hope it dies down.

Thanks Jim, we stand together in Vanning.

Daz

Our condolences go out to Tina's family as well as for her partner Sam.

It's just been mentioned that there is extreme weather again this weekend, and they fear that the fires will restart in the Gippsland area.

Here i have some pics of what was Paul from DVV, his mother in laws house from Whittlesea, house was for sale and luckily she was in Queensland, but not nice to come back too.

C:\Documents and Settings\Dell\My Documents\My Pictures\Fire\DSC00038sm.jpg
C:\Documents and Settings\Dell\My Documents\My Pictures\Fire\DSC00041sm.jpg
C:\Documents and Settings\Dell\My Documents\My Pictures\Fire\DSC00050sm.jpg
C:\Documents and Settings\Dell\My Documents\My Pictures\Fire\DSC00053sm.jpg
C:\Documents and Settings\Dell\My Documents\My Pictures\Fire\DSC00054sm.jpg
C:\Documents and Settings\Dell\My Documents\My Pictures\Fire\DSC00055sm.jpg

email the pics to me James and i will post them up for ya.

not sure what happened there, will try again

From the OZrodders forum:

QUOTE:

Well I guess its been comfirmed.
R.I.P Tina and her three children Crystal, 15, Nathan, 13 and Teagan, 6
Condolences to Sam Gent, family and freinds
Barnsey

The partner of a New Zealand woman killed in the Victorian bushfires has told of her fight to save herself and her three children.

Tina Wilson, 36, originally from the North Island town of Whakatane, died with her three children in the devastated township of Kinglake, about 65km northeast of Melbourne.

Other New Zealanders are believed to be missing in the Australian bushfires which have claimed at least 181 lives.

Speaking to New Zealand's TV3 on Tuesday, her partner Sam Gents said Ms Wilson was trying to escape from her home but was unable to get past the fire.

"She tried to come down the mountain," Gents said.

"She rang me up and said 'look I can't get down, there's fire'."

The fire brigade told her to go back to the house, he said.

"That's what she did and she rang me up and said 'look, I'm going to go next door - the house has got sprinklers on the roof and we'll be fine, and I'll call you soon'.

That was the last I heard of her."

Ms Wilson's three children, Crystal, 15, Nathan, 13 and Teagan, 6 were also killed.

"She was crying, she was crying, but she's a tough woman you know, resourceful so she would have been fighting to the end," Mr Gents said.

Ms Wilson was passionate about cars and was a former member of the Whakatane Hot Rod Club.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade was on Tuesday seeking more information on the safety of other New Zealanders believed to have been in the affected area


R.I.P Tina and her three children Crystal, 15, Nathan, 13 and Teagan, 6

Tear are in our hearts

Daz, Dot & Tracey

Hey guys..My feelings go out to all of you right now..Ive been away from home for a few days,and seeing the tragedies occurring over there,is beyond belief..I feel really bad ,cos I was only joking a few weeks ago to some eastern state vanners about them complaining about the hot weather..We're used to the heat over here in WA..Feel like I put my foot in my mouth..Please stay strong and safe,whereever you are..You may lose a van but ur life is more important..Nigz

They got as close as 2 mins down the road.(Pomboneit fires). they got on top of them quick though. these fireis know what their doing(thank God). Van is safe in the shed.

thats great to hear that you & the van are safe. i know that area very well, Also welcome to the forum Vandalize.

Hi All,
Got this from the ozrodders forum:

ALTERED wrote:
dragway is OK,,,ian I delive is there setting up a genny now,,,,,Ians ex wife,Lorraine is ok and house is Ok ,,, we are getting this info from friends on the mountain

Gary

sad day for us all


I can confirm this too, I spoke to Rachelle yesterday to see how everything was going, it seams the factory somehow survived and all of Ians good work in preparation over the years helped the Pheasant Creek house standing.

So at last we are getting some good news. We will continue to hear of lossess, but also marvel at wins. Thats what I love about being an aussie, we bounce back twice as tough!!
mex

better clarify... I didn't speak to her thats off the site.

Havn't heard any news on my best friend from high school and his brother. Having lived in the Diamond Valley area half my life, most of my friends moved around the Yarra Glen , Kinglake, Whittlesea area, now the hard part, trying to find out where they all are