sparking an argument

In recent weeks, especially over Xmas-New Year as bushfires have devoured thousands of hectares of Victoria and New South Wales, I have received heaps of e-mails and letters about our volunteer firemen.

The rains of the past few days have meant the first true relief and stand-down time for men and women who day after day and night after night fought fire after fire. Fuelled by sweltering temperatures and incessant hot winds they tried to save forests and farms already tinder dry from the marathon drought.

And that meant days and nights away from their own families and their own properties which in the capricious ways of rampant bushfires can turn from safe haven to target in minutes.

But the camaraderie of the firefighters – especially the selfless volunteers – has always been something special in country Australia. A land that the late George Johnson once wrote was never meant for people to live in.

And that’s why the e-mails have urged special recognition of the bushfire heroes. Calls for The Australian newspaper to make them, collectively, Australians of the year. And for Prime Minister Howard to do the same thing in his Australia Day honours.

And their feelings have not been lifted today with the news that those much-vaunted imported firemen from New Zealand and Canada and the United States were paid a heap of money to come here.

The Victorian Government offered New Zealand firefighters  more than $12,000 each plus  accommodation and travel and other expenses. The package was for 22 days with 15 days of that on duty and a payment of $600 per day.

There is an allegation that at the same time  800 MFB officers stood idle. The Government hasn’t denied the money claim but Acting Premier John Thwaites came up with a lame excuse over the 800 MFB firemen.  He says they weren’t sitting idle. ‘What they’re doing is waiting for a fire to occur. They’re not spending their whole time fighting fires’.

There’s also a claim that the Kiwis had special training. And that’s seen as an insult too.

The union says the deal is ‘ absolutely scandalous’. Union secretary  Peter Marshall says he is ‘gobsmacked.’

And, as the news filters through a lot of firefighters  are ‘ticked off’ to say the least.  They, like many of us, thought these overseas reinforcements were volunteers. Sure, we’d pay for air fares ands accommodation and food but this is gun-for-hire stuff.

Especially when you think how much money volunteers and their families give indirectly to the cause. The fund-raising drives, the sausage sizzles, the raffles, the food and drink supplied by wives and families.

They all deserve more recognition.

 Thursday, January 25, 2007

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2007