Oral Histories
Oral Histories – 2020 Morton Bushfires
All participants agreed to make these recordings public. Please see below a full list of the interviewees.
Transcripts that have been edited can be downloaded. To receive an unedited version, please fill out the contact form from the Bundanoon History Group to request the transcript.
Interview with Sandy Berry
Sandy was born in Bundanoon in 1955. She recalls the 1965 fires. She and her husband returned in 2011. Sandy is the team coordinator for the Ben Nevis Circuit community fire unit. Her training with the CFU helped prepare her mentally and to feel able to help stop the fire spread.
Interviewed by Carol Cosgrove on 29 June 2020 (25 mins).
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Interview with David Brennen
Interview with Melissa Cady
Interview with Elizabeth Cranny
Interview with John Creighton
John is the founder and manager of the Wombat Care Centre in Bundanoon. John and his team organised food and water deliveries to the many stricken animals out in the bush, immediately after the fire had passed through.
Interviewed by David Brennen on 19 October 2020 (35 mins).
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Interview with Barbara Eckersley
Barbara and her husband stayed and defended their home rather than evacuating. The fires were very visible around their property, with embers igniting nearby combustible material, which they extinguished.
Interviewed by Lyn Morehen on 2 June 2020 (10 mins).
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Interview with John Everett
John, a Bundanoon resident and at the time of the fires a deputy captain at the Bundanoon RFS. He and his crew were on duty on many days and nights, including the time (23 January 2020) that Teudts road was ablaze and the fires overtook their truck. Fortunately no lives were lost but the truck was damaged.
Interviewed by Lyn Morehen on 3 June 2020 (11 mins).
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Interview with Duncan Gair
Interview with Caitlin Gallagher
Caitlin, Wingecarribee Shire’s Young Citizen of the Year 2020. Caitlin was recognised for her work as a wildlife rescuer for Wombat Care Bundanoon. She helped provide supplementary food sources to wildlife that were victims of the bush fires.
Interviewed by Lyn Morehen on 21 June 2020 (5 mins).
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Interview with Roberto Gnecchi Ruscone
Interview with Ros Godden-Ryan
Interview with Don Gray
Interview with Peter Gray
Peter, President of the Bundanoon Community Association and of the Bundanoon Photography Group at the time of the fires. He was also leader of a Community Fire Unit on Garland Road.
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Interview with Judy Greason
Interview with John Grono and Donna Andrews
Interview with Pat Hall
Pat has been a resident in Bundanoon since 1979, retired National Parks employee, conservationist and active supporter of rehabilitation of local threatened species, in particular Glossy Black Cockatoos and Brush Tail Rock Wallabies.
Interviewed by Carol Cosgrove on 7 July 2020 (26 mins)
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Interview with John Hines
Interview with Nerida Little
Nerida Little lives on 32 acres that border the Morton National Park. She was a recent arrival at the time of the 2020 bushfires and had just joined the RFS but had not completed her training. She quickly got to know her neighbours and found help in providing a safe haven for her horses.
Interviewed by Lyn Morehen on 21 June 2020 (10 mins).
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Interview with Melissa McAuliffe and Wayne Wilson
Interview with Ann McCarter
Ann, at the time of the fires, President of the Good Yarn, a shop in Bundanoon that sells hand-made goods, local produce, vintage treasures, yarn and knits. The Good Yarn is staffed by volunteers, with all proceeds going to charity.
Interviewed by Marianne Ward on 19 August 2020 (21 mins).
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Interview with Phra Mahna
Phra Mahna is the Venerable Abbot of the Sunnataram Forest Monastery located on Teudts Road, Bundanoon. Also interviewed is Kim McSweeney, honourable secretary at the monastery.
Interviewed by Marianne Ward on 24 March 2021 (73 mins).
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Interview with Barry Miller
Interview with Christine Miller
Christine, a resident since 2000 and former President of the Bundanoon Community Association, who speaks about the community, preparations for fire, the night of 4/5 January and thereafter.
Interviewed by Marianne Ward on 10 September 2020 (40 mins).
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Interview with Martyn Mordy
Interview with Lyn Morehen
Lyn A volunteer with the Bundanoon Community Association and one of the members of the oral history sub-group of the Bundanoon History Group who conducted interviews for the bushfire archive project.
Interviewed by Marianne Ward on 6 May 2020 (14 mins).
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Interview with Dr Indran Rajendra
Interview with Ken Rooke
Interview with Christine and Evan Smith
Evan and Christine Smith have lived permanently in the village since 2010. Evan is a member of the Men’s Shed; Christine volunteers at the Good Yarn shop. They speak about their preparations before the 4 January fire and its aftermath: they live on the western side of the village and decided to stay. They checked up on friends’ houses and kept them informed.
Interviewed by Francesca Beddie on 2 September 2020 (23 mins).
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Interview with Jeremy Tonks
Interview with Marianne Ward
Marianne Ward lives in a house that looks out over the National Park. She came to live permanently in Bundanoon in January 2000. She is a long-time member of the Bundanoon History Group, having served as President and also setting up the oral history program in 2005. Marianne evacuated early.
Interviewed by Francesca Beddie on 23 April 2020 (19 mins).
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