You wake up knowing what today is and say to yourself “It’s just another day” with the aim of treating it as such. It doesn’t last long.
One walks to the shops and sees all the flags in town are at half-mast, everyone is wearing yellow ribbons and everyone is asking each other “Are You OK?” Although every day in Kinglake is “Are you OK?” day, with most locals no longer asking “How’s it going?” but rather, “Are you OK?”
Logging on to Facebook, many locals have changed their profile pictures to fire pictures, yellow ribbons and Black Saturday memes. People are thanking each other, remembering those we lost.
It is noticed that no one is judging other people. Some people are going to the Memorial Service, some aren’t and most are saying that we all have our way of dealing with today and to respect each other’s decisions about how they are dealing with the day.
The CFA Chief, Joe Buffone is visiting the Kinglake CFA in the morning and a photo of Joe at Kinglake CFA is posted by the Captain, Steve Bell, to Facebook. The local CFA is handing out yellow ribbons during Sunday morning training.
Throughout the day, even without mainstream media in town, you can not escape reminders of that fateful day.
By lunchtime many locals have begun to gather at the Kinglake Pub for drinks, to share memories and support each other through what is a very tough day.
Locals come and go throughout the afternoon, each with a story to tell. Everyone recognised that whatever each of us did or did not do, everyone tried their best on Black Saturday, no matter what decisions one made. There were no right or wrong decisions, just everyone doing what they thought was best at the time.
Without exception, everyone in Kinglake stood up and did something that day. A positive to come of Black Saturday is that all of us that went through it are much closer than we were before the fires.
Every year, Kinglake residents try to live the day like any other, but it is difficult, if not impossible to do. It always has been and always will be for all survivors.
Article first published in The Local Paper, February 24, 2016, p.6.
