#10
January 8, 2020
We are still in Ottawa, leaving February 03 for two months in Australia where we have been going since 2003. At this point Bev and I have spent about three years of our lives there which certainly increases the attachment one feels to a place where family resides.
Our
daughter, Marie, who is in Real Estate, and our son-in-law live in
Wagga Wagga, NSW, a city of 60,000 and five hours west of Sydney by
car. Wagga is a hub for the Riverina, which is an agricultural
district. We usually base ourselves at their house and travel out
from there during our stay.
The front and side of my daughters house in Wagga Wagga.
The smoke blows in from a fire 50 km east in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains.
The fires have reached Tumut and Batlow about 50 km as the crow flies east from Wagga. The city has been receiving evacuees from these towns and putting people up in homes and public facilities. Our son-in-law, Dave, who is a Major in Australian Defence, is commanding the evacuation operations and supply lines from the Kapooka Army Base (Wagga).
The situation is grim with significant loss of property, lives and the devastation of wildlife and habitats. Farmers are having to shoot their livestock because they have no access to food and water. This creates a lot of mental health issues.
Outside
the city, which up to now has only been affected by smoke, much of
the land is clear of trees on the flats. Hillsides and stream
courses however are lined with eucalyptus and the others trees of
this region. The winds are so strong, they blow embers over fire
breaks. Rain rarely comes at this time of year at the best of times.
The Kangaroo is sitting outside of my son in law’s office on Kapooka base outside of Wagga
.Kangaroos gravitate to bases across Australia because there is green grass there especially on the playing fields.
This grey roo has a “joey” in her pouch and I can only speculate that her ears are down because of stress.
I usually rent a car when I’m there, but with the loss of property I don’t know if there will be any cars available. At this point we are taking a wait and see attitude about that and where we may go and what we may do. The reality of the situation will dictate our course.
- Mac and Bev MacDonald
