We are excited to bring you our most recent update to our New and Noteworthy exhibit. To showcase the vast collection we have at the Museum of Fire, this exhibit gives us a chance to showcase new donations or noteworthy objects in our collection.
The objects chosen for this display highlight Australia’s bushfire history, ranging from board games and education kits to collectable limited-edition figurines. The exhibit is on display for a limited time only so be sure to catch it before it ends!
Bushfire Education Resource Kit, 1984
The Bushfire Education Resource Kit was created by the Bush Fire Council of New South Wales as a response to the Ash Wednesday Bushfires. The kit was sent to all primary schools around the state and contained information cards, audio tapes and projector slides. The popular book character Alexander Bunyip by author Michael Salmon is featured throughout the kit.
Ash Wednesday Bushfires
One of the most catastrophic fires in Australian history were the 1983 Ash Wednesday Bushfires in Victoria. A number of severe fires broke out throughout Victoria and South Australia on Ash Wednesday, 16 February 1983. Long periods of drought had occurred as a result of little rainfall throughout the summer of 1982, resulting in lower moisture levels in the ground and an abundance dry leaves, bark, twigs, and other vegetation which served as fuel for fires.
As such, a number of fire restrictions were introduced as early as October 1982, with a total fire ban declared in November 1982, the earliest in Victorian history. Fires were not permitted to be lit in the open air during this period. Activities that could cause fires such as barbequing or driving through grasslands were also not permitted during this period.
Over 180 fires burned throughout Victoria and South Australia during the peak of the Ash Wednesday Fires, with 104 burning in Victoria alone. Of the 180 fires, eight were considered to be major fires. The fires were fed by strong winds and dry vegetation due to the drought.
The fires resulted in 47 deaths in Victoria, and the loss of 2,080 homes, 32,750 heads of stock, 8,900km of fencing, and a total destroyed area of 200,000 hectares, including 85,200 hectares of state forests. South Australia saw a total of 28 deaths, and 1,500 injuries. The state saw 200 building damaged by the fires with a total of 383 homes and 160,000 hectares of land destroyed.
The Bushfire Prevention Game
The Bushfire Prevention Game was designed by the Bushfire Council of New South Wales as part of their schools’ bushfire education program. Designed purely to be a classroom resource, it was hoped the board game format would make it more appealing to teachers, in turn increasing the likelihood of its use.
Lookout! Fire Safety Game
The Lookout! Fire Safety Game was a board game made by the New South Wales Fire Brigade (now Fire and Rescue NSW) in collaboration with the New South Wals Police, New South Wales Ambulance, along with the National Safety Committee of Australia and Yellow Safety House. The game features the mascots of the emergency service organisations; Bernie Cinders, Constable Careful, and Billy B. Safe.
Funko Pop! Vinyl Heroes
The Funko Pop! Bushfire Heroes was a limited-edition collaboration between toy manufacturer Funko and Australian collectable store PopCultcha as part of the RSPCA’s National Bushfire Appeal. The Funko Pop features an Australian firefighter and features a koala to represent the devastating effect of the bushfire crisis on the wildlife population. Proceeds from the sales went to the RSPCA to help provide much needed equipment and supplies for emergency care of injured animals in need of assistance following the 2019 – 2020 Black Summer Bushfires.
Black Summer Bushfires
The summer of 2019 – 2020 saw unprecedented bushfires burn across Australia. The bushfire season was declared unusually early, with 21 local government areas declaring a start to the season as early as August 2019, and a further 53 in September. Conditions for catastrophic bushfires were exacerbated by ongoing drought conditions and record high temperatures, with the average temperatures 1.52 degrees higher than usual. For only the second time since their introduction in 2009, catastrophic fire warnings were issued for Greater Sydney, the Illawarra, and the Southern Ranges.
The first of the fires began on 26 October 2019 in the Wollemi National Park in Gospers Mountain originating from a lightning strike during storms that swept across New South Wales. This fire would burn throughout November, December, and January, destroying a total area of 512, 000 hectares. It became the largest forest fire in Australian history.
By December 2019, more than 2,000 bush and grass fires burned in New South Wales with more breaking out in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Strong wind conditions and prolonged drought contributed to difficulties in fighting the fires. Some fires began to form their own weather systems which then resulted in the rapid spread of spot fires. Several state of emergencies were announced in New South Wales through December and January as temperatures continued to soar. Smoke from the fires was reported to be visible from New Zealand during this period. Heavy rains helped to finally bring the fires under control and New South Wales was declared bushfire free for the first time in more than 240 days in March 2020.
The Black Summer fires resulted in a total of 33 deaths with 25 taking place in New South Wales. New South Wales experienced the greatest damage with a total of 5.68 million hectares of land destroyed.
New and Noteworthy is a rotating exhibit where we will bring you even more highlights from our collection, so make sure you visit to see this great collection of objects and keep a look out for when we swap them out for more.
The Museum is open 7-days a week 9:30am - 4:30pm to plan you visit head to www.museumoffire.net/plan-your-visit
- Story by Museum of Fire Heritage Team
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