Survivor urges caution

– Melissa Grant
ASH Wednesday survivor Barry Medwin has urged those affected by the Black Saturday fires to think long and hard about how and where they will rebuild their lives.
Mr Medwin, who was on the firefront during Ash Wednesday, lost everything in the 1983 inferno – including his first wife Alison and daughter Kerry – but has since rebuilt his life in Upper Beaconsfield.
While some people left the fire-ravaged town, Mr Medwin stayed and built a new home on the same property that was razed by the devastating fires and married Joan in 1993.
“The thing important to me was the fact people there (in Upper Beaconsfield) had been through what I had and understood what I felt,” he said.
“What I saw here in Upper Beaconsfield was that many people couldn’t stay here because they couldn’t stand the fire season, and I think some of them regretted it, but others have moved on.”
More than 1500 people were left homeless after 500 houses were destroyed during the Ash Wednesday fires.
Black Saturday has been declared Victoria’s worst natural disaster. The death toll stands at 189, but is expected to rise, and about 5000 people no longer have a roof over their head.
Mr Medwin said it took a long time to rebuild the Upper Beaconsfield township, but things were underway during 1983 – including his new house, which he moved into that October.
He said love and support were pivotal in tough times like these.
“Don’t be hasty and make decisions – whatever you do talk to friends and family,” he said.
Mr Medwin had a special message for those who had lost loved ones and/or their homes in the Black Saturday fires.
“They’re going through a dreadful time, but my belief and desire for them is not to give up hope,” he said.
“They won’t see that at this stage, but they need to have the assurance that life will improve.”