Signs of the Black Saturday bushfires are still present in towns like Marysville, 10 years after the deadliest bushfires in Australia’s history ravaged Victoria.
It’s not only the charred tree trunks that stand as mementos of the inferno that engulfed everything in its path. For some survivors the wounds remain, causing even to this day deep pain. For many these wounds may never heal, no matter how much time passes.
What is certain is that little is the same wherever the disaster struck, and Marysville is one of those places. According to one former resident, Anastasia Zarifopoulos, approximately one third of Marysville’s inhabitants never returned to rebuild after the fire.
A temporary address sign given to the residents in the aftermath of Black Saturday (Source: SBS Greek/Argyro Vourdoumpa) Source: SBS Greek/Argyro Vourdoumpa
Ms Zarifopoulos had operated a small bed and breakfast business in Marysville until the bushfires. Her property and home were completely destroyed.
For some residents she believes it was just too painful to return and for others she suggests it was the onerous building requirements in the aftermath of Black Saturday that kept them from coming back. She estimated her own rebuilding costs to be over $150,000.
“That was a cost burden beyond my abilities”, said Ms Zarifopoulos.
The psychological burden of overcoming that trauma was even more taxing for her. Walking around her former property, where no structures remain and gardens sit in their place, she becomes emotional, yet remains composed.
A "Thank You" sign at Marysville's Community Centre , token of appreciation from local residents to the CFA and the community (Source: SBS Greek/A.Vourdoumpa) Source: SBS Greek/Argyro Vourdoumpa
She remembers her pride and joy, her beautiful garden that was once standing here. Ironically, she would regularly open up her garden to host fundraising events for the Country Fire Authority.
She also remembers that ominous roar she heard late that afternoon of February 7, 2009, when the fire was approaching Marysville.
“It’s hard to describe it, but it was like locomotives rushing towards us or powerful airplanes descending upon us. It was a very disconcerting sign of what was about to happen,” she recalls.
“Overall, I believe that at the moment, I have overcome [the trauma]. From time to time, memories do come back, and if I would allow myself, I would weep. But life goes on we’re still here, yet 24 other people that I knew are not here anymore,” lamented Ms Zarifopoulos.
Yellow ribbons have been tied around the tree trunks, in Marysville, as a symbol of hope and recovery (Source: SBS Greek/Argyro Vourdoumpa) Source: SBS Greek/Argyro Vourdoumpa
Different people cope differently with pain. Ms Zarifopoulos says that some of her friends have since experienced serious mental health issues.
“Fortunately, I didn’t lose a loved one to the fire, but people who have lost children or spouses cannot overcome the trauma,” she says.
SBS Greek leaves on that sombre note, remarking that Ms Zarifopoulos is a testament to the enduring human spirit. Ten years after the deadliest bushfires in Australia’s history, she has picked up the pieces and done her best to move on.
Watch part of the interview in Greek:
