https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/12-months-on-the-impacts-of-the-fires-remain/3900814/ THE enormity of the long-term impacts of the 2018 Eungella bushfires were not felt immediately. For Ian Wright, it was 12 months on that the events really sank in. Once luscious properties of the Pioneer Valley residents remain burned and charred, a constant reminder of the catastrophic ordeal they endured. When he looks out and sees the sustained impact, he relives the nightmare. "As we were leaving my place, when the fire came through, we left here and I thought I'd lost my wife," Mr Wright said. "The car had disappeared in a big ball of flames at the gate. I was driving through flames all the way down the road. "I know myself that sometimes it all comes rushing back to you, because you've got no one to talk about it with … and it can become emotional." Health issues prevented Mr Wright from manning the frontlines with his rural firefighter mates.
His efforts were kept to the Eungella Hall, where families gathered and awaited news of their loved ones' whereabouts. This in itself created significant stress and anxiety throughout the community, not knowing whether their loved ones were coming home. In the heat of the moment, things were said between neighbours that Mr Wright said they may have regretted. But the severity of what was occurring had masked the regretful actions that remained unresolved to this day. Mr Wright said mental health support services needed to make a stronger effort to help rural communities unable to make regular visits into town. "I think they (the issues) are pretty well hidden," Mr Wright said. "A lot of people up here move on and try to get over it, but I know myself, when you go around and talk to people, that some people haven't got over it. "You have periods where some people start talking about it and start breaking down. "There's a lot of that going around here, but you don't hear anybody talking about it."
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AuthorWith instances of suicide and mental illness increasing at Christmas time, I pitched a series of a page each day for a week covering a variety of mental health issues ArchivesCategories |