Following the fires of 2020 Wonboyn Village was severely damaged in many ways. The loss of homes, sheds, possessions, fauna & flora, stock etc was devastating. The business base of the town was also affected. Oysters could not be harvested and in some cases died. The Caravan Park lost all its business for some time. Sadly their shed which housed all their maintenance equipment was also lost and some of the sites, people’s homes, within the park were lost. A local timber harvesting family business also lost all of its harvesting equipment.
Local Author and Community Member, Susie Sara, has been gathering stories and pictures about the fires from all those affected in the Wonboyn Community. These stories include memories of the RFS firefighters
who were on the front line when the fire impacted: Residents, some who stayed and some who left, campers, post-fire supporters, visitors, defence force, service clubs, wildlife carers and NPWS are represented in the book. These stories are a mix of personal, professional, and emotional responses to the fire and thus form a historical record of the event. It is hoped that the publication of this book will assist everyone in the community to come to terms with, understanding and preparing for future events. They will be armed with tangible firsthand knowledge of how a major event can cause such devastation.
The book will inform and provide a historical record. This means residents, businesses and visitors will have a referral point of not only the potential for loss but also for prevention and control of future fires which will come. Most of all this book will contribute to the future resilience of not only Wonboyn but other small communities.
The Wonboyn community is proud they have managed to record so many first-hand stories. This is not a novel but personal recollections from a cross-section of the community. This commemorative collection of stories will be forever recorded as a part of our local history. Mumbulla Community Foundation proudly supported this project.
