"Hazard Reduction"? Certainly important and hope I don't drift too far off
topic here with the attached. It mortifies me as well to see my patch around
Sydney going up in flames in the peak breeding season: Is it not that in
wishing to live in, or on the edge of, natural ecosystems - and having removed
the original "land managers"we now find ourselves wedged in a conflict of
extremes. We burn excessively to protect our ordered suburbs, monocultures and
plantations or try to preserve to the detriment of necessary cycles (eg on
heathlands) Here is a little historical record from an old grazier friend at
Bombala NSW. Roger Giller also knows him well - and I am sure Denise will
empathise! Bear with me and read to the end for some thoughts on what may once
have been more the norm (and I know there are more scientific works on the
subject of previous fire regimes) Graeme Stevens (and I still haven't found a
White-throated Grasswren!) ----------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"JAMBIE" around
1906
Thought to be over 70 years old
His story as
told to me by my Father Badan
William Bruce .
When Charles
and Helen Bruce had a General Store
for basic supplies
on their farm which was on the right hand side of the highway, on the steep
decent
down
the hill to Rocton (Still known as Bruces Pinch).
Living
in a sturdy hut with a lean- to
on their farm was a very old man named Jambie
who said he
was the last of his small tribe that had lived in the Rocton (NSW) and area
South
East of there, before white
settlement . They had suffered
so very badly ,
when Measles and Scarlet Fever etc.
caused the death of so very many in that tribe.
Jambie , stood almost 6 feet tall. My Father remembered his large strong white
teeth
and
his stories of when he was young.
He
was an outstanding hunter. He was
very much liked by the people of
Rocton.
They gave him food , clothing and
care, in return he
hunted
Foxes and Dingoes with success, when they were troubling the valley.
He
had the use of an old .22 German rifle
and was given tiny .22 short
bullets
to use as needed.
Dingoes he hunted , when, they were killing
stock at night . He would go out with
the
rifle in the dark of the night, almost
always returning with a fresh
Dingo skin..
He
enjoyed the fact that he could easily outwit them, on even terms, in the dark of
night.
When lightning started summer fires and there was a rush to control
them.
He would
be
angry and upset. He would say that when the Fire Sprits
made hot summer fire it must burn - burn - burn.
He would say over and over ,That bush was too thick now. No fires each year -
The bush
is
too thick, No fat animals. Not enough animals, Bush is sick,
too thick. Fire be
big
big soon, kill all animals in trees.
Now
a hundred years on we still control
the yearly summer fires to the
best of our ability.
We
cannot, and do not, Just let them burn - burn- burn until enough rain comes.
It
makes me ponder ?, Just what he remembered when he lived in " Pristine Bush"
as
a child
and young man "
Compared to what we see and would like to think is
" Pristine Bush " ?
some 60 years
later.
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