Nixon to reflect on Black Saturday

Former police chief Christine Nixon will visit towns affected by Black Saturday this week as Victoria prepares for the 10-year anniversary.

Former Victoria police chief Christine Nixon played an integral role in rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of the Black Saturday and will spend this week reflecting on the decade since the deadly fires.

Speaking briefly to AAP following the official 10-year commemorative event in Melbourne on Monday night, Ms Nixon said she had recently visited affected areas and would visit more towns over the next few days.

"I went out on Saturday and I'll go out during the week and have been in the years past too," she said.

"There's still some people that you know are always there for a hug and there are some people who don't want to speak to you ... but that's how people deal with it."

Ms Nixon faced tough scrutiny during the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission for not staying at the incident control centre on February 7, 2009. The Black Saturday fires claimed 173 lives and around 400 people were injured.

But many in areas affected by the fires could not fault Ms Nixon's efforts in her role as Victorian Bushfire Recovery Authority chair.


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Source: AAP



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