Footsteps in the Ash is the story of the tiny communities of St Andrews and Strathewen which were devastated by the Black Saturday bushfires
Left: Cabel Gribben, 19 captured this photo as the Black Saturday bushfire roared towards his home in Strathewen. His mother, Jane, was thrown across two rooms by a fireball and when she regained consciousness her hair was on fire. She put it out with a carton of milk from the fridge.
Right: Two orphaned baby kangaroos, Merlot and Cooper, found a safe haven in the burnt bush of St Andrews. They lost their mothers on the road and were taken in by Alan and Stella Reid at Wildhaven, a wildlife animal sanctuary which was destroyed in the bushfires.
Footsteps in the Ash is a record of the devastation of the St Andrews and Strathewen communities where 37 people died and 117 homes were lost in the Black Saturday bushfires of 7 February 2009.
The authors of the book, Jim Usher and Mac Gudgeon, live in St Andrews and were minutes away from becoming victims of the fires themselves.
Over a 10-month period they interviewed 80 survivors and 65 firefighters to compile the 276 pages of compelling stories and photographs, in the process becoming a listening post for the trauma of locals, many of whom have still not recovered.
Initial printing of Footsteps in the Ash was funded by the Hurstbridge and Diamond Creek branches of the Bendigo Community Bank.
The authors gave of their services free of charge so that entire proceeds from the $25 sale price of 5000 books are shared by the St Andrews and Arthurs Creek/Strathewen CFAs and other brigades that took part in the firefight at Strathewen and St Andrews on that day.
The brigades will receive about $125,000 from sales.
The authors, Jim Usher and Mac Gudgeon
This comprehensive map shows the path of the fires in Strathewen and St Andrews.
It was created by Kim Lynch, of Wattle Glen, who also donated this web page to assist in the CFA fund-raising.
A Bushfire Photo Exhibition is being held at Bridges Restaurant/Nursery, Hurstbridge, during February, 2010. Framed photos from Black Saturday and the recovery afterwards have been donated by the photographers, which include Lloyd Godman, and proceeds go to Harold Mitchell Foundation charities.