(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
While many parts of Australia battle extreme heat and bushfires, residents of the capital are marking a solemn day in their history.
The Canberra bushfire of 2003 was one of the worst in terms of property damage that Australia had ever seen.
And while the rebuilding process is all but over, survivors may still be dealing with the psychological scars.
Shalailah Medhora reports from Canberra.Emily Rooney remembers the 18th of January 2003 well.
It was the day her parents' house burnt down in the Canberra bushfires.
The family fled the property at Duffy in Canberra's southwest just minutes before it went up.
"The power went out, and at that same point a firetruck pulled up out the front of the house and my brother ran out to it and banged on the door and said, 'What do we do?' And I heard them scream from inside, 'Lock up and get out! Lock up and get out!' So we were very fortunate because I think we were probably the only people in the area. It was only because he'd found that out. So we all raced down and jumped in the car."
The 2003 fire roared into Canberra after days of burning in the city's outskirts.
Four people died and more than 500 properties were destroyed.
It was the worst bushfire the capital has ever seen and the city still bears the scars.
For many survivors, overcoming the psychological impact of bushfires can take years.
Emily Rooney suffers Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The diagnosis took her by surprise.
"I pretty much went straight back to work. There was a lot of focus on trying to create some sort of normalcy in whatever areas we could. So in terms of that, I think I maybe had a few days off but then it was straight back to work. It was really only a few years ago that I realised the personal impact on me that the whole event had had."
Experts believe many survivors ignore or overlook the symptoms of stress or mental illness as they try to focus on everyday life.
Louise Harms is an Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne who has been studying the effects of bushfires.
She says seeing coverage of other bushfires can cause the symptoms to re-emerge suddenly.
"I think it's a very live issue for people and seeing those images, reconnecting with a sense of threat, and also connecting with the ongoing effect of these bushfires at the moment will be for people. Anniversary effects are very profound also. So, in the Victorian situation, coming up to five years will be a really significant time for people."
Firefighters may suffer the worst psychological impacts especially if, as in the case of the Canberra fires, they're battling to save the homes of friends and family.
The Chief Officer of the ACT Rural Fire Service, Andrew Stark, explains.
"Any big incident makes people reflect on the things that they gave up: the time, the losses they saw. Firefighters see that personal heartbreak and loss of people and sometimes feel quite helpless in the fact that despite their best efforts, those tragedies occur."
Canberrans point to the success of a recent exhibition on the 2003 blaze as a reason for the establishment of a National Bushfire Centre.
Mount Stromlo observatory was one of the buildings destroyed in the inferno.
It's now a function centre where the recent exhibition was held.
Its director, Simone Hunter, wants federal and state governments to put money into establishing a permanent centre.
"There does seem to be a lot of value to the people who have been through this experience to benefit by helping others. People who have been affected by bushfires canÿÿÿÿÿ work within a space that gives back to the community and helps other people heal as well. So it's a healing space."
For Emily Rooney, healing begins with building a sense of community.
She's created a website called Suddenly Homeless for people with similiar experiences and she's writing a book about her own story.
"I think that's going to be a really healing journey to be able to be there and to be able to offer some support to those people. That's just a part of ... I'm creating meaning out of our experience by being able to give back. So I'm looking forward to being more down the path, in a place where I can do that."
She's also started a knitting project to give blankets to people who find themselves without a home.
Ms Rooney has nearly two dozen blankets to give comfort to survivors of last year's Blue Mountains fire - something for people to cling to when times get tough.
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