The Day the Flames Came: Dwellingup 1961
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- On Tuesday 24 January 1961 disaster struck Dwellingup, a Forestry Department stronghold, deep in the jarrah forests 110km south of Perth.
The most intense bushfires in recorded history destroyed the town in a matter of hours, devastating a community and shaking the self-belief of some of the toughest foresters and firefighters in the business.
This film follows the story of three men who fought to save their wives and children on that terrible night as the flames bore down.
And two mothers: one caught on the road in the back of a ute with her children fleeing from the destruction; the other, trapped outside her town by fate and a charitable deed, asks for news of her husband and friends and is told that no one survived.
The Dwellingup fire was a watershed in the way authorities manage fires and the critical lessons learned continue to have relevance today.
This film was developed in 2006 by the Department of Conservation and Land Management and the Fire & Emergency Services Authority in WA, with the assistance of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre.
#historicalfires
I was 9 years old when the fire went through Dwellingup. Our family were on holiday in Mandurah at Scotty's Caravan Park. At night you could see the glow from the fire. My father and a couple of others in the caravan park joined a group from Mandurah who went to help fight the fire.
Absolutely heartbreaking! So thankful no lives were lost though.
I spent a number of years growing up in Dwellingup during the 50's and 60's and remember that fire as clearly as it was yesterday. My father was working in the Forestry Dept and was in one of the crews which was recalled to town during the night, but they were unable to get back until early the next morning. Our house was just above the oval and we could hear the people sheltering down there, but not see them because of the smoke and flames. My late Mother organised us boys and we spent the entire night patrolling our yard with buckets of water to put out spot fires and our home was saved. Most of my hair was singed off and I had eye problems for a long time afterwards.
I recognise almost everyone in this video, especially the kids as I was only 12 years old at the time and went to school with most of them. It was a very scary time for all of us.
My father took over as Fire Control Officer after Dwellingup was destroyed was given the Army and "all the resources of the State" by the Goveror General. The fire was still raging and was fuelled by extremely high temperatues and cyclonic winds. The stories of that day and the days after chill me even today. I am very proud of my father.
@@straith181265
Hi.
Bevan Campbell took over as the third FCO. He was based in Harvey and was put in charge of the army SAS, a leuitant colonel and 1000 other fire fighters. After six days of maouvering the fire direction into pre burnt forest they had rain which helped greatly and the fire was contained
Is that you Steven . Re read my original post. I said......AFTER Dwellingup was destroyed.....not before or during.
@@bryncampbell1399 sorry Bryn it sounded like you were referring to Frank, maybe add " my father :Bevan" ?
Believe it or not, there is a lobby gaining momentum here in Western Australia that is attempting to stop fuel reduction burning because they maintain it is bad for the ecosystem. It's worth noting that none of these people have ever encountered a wildfire the likes of which destroyed Dwellingup in 1961, and more recently, Yarloop, in 2016.
Almost guarantee none of them are Bushfire Volunteers.
@@peterluobikis837 And have never been in up close to one trying to save the ecosystem.
We (at Fairbridge, Pinjarra) used to compete against the Dwellingup kids in football and athletics. Both home and occasionally, away comps. When we visited, it felt like the whole town was made of jarrah. My childhood impression was of everything having an orange hue, including the gravel roads. On blisteringly hot days, it seemed like a tinderbox. It's a testament to the townspeople that there weren't more frequent fires.
Only a few weeks after the fire, I started high school down in Pinjarra and met most of the Fairbridge kids there...I probably played sport with or against you Ned. The high school didn't have any spare classrooms at the time so we used to travel by bus to Fairbridge every week to do woodwork and metalwork for the boys and domestic science for the girls.
I still lived in Dwellingup and caught the bus every day to Pinjarra during '61, '62 and '63.
When I worked in Oz I worked with a lady who went high at the end of every sentence haha, I thought it a bit patronising myself and very annoying 😂😂..But on a serious note though the people were fantastic and a good laugh especially when you went out of the city into the towns..Had some great memories thanks Australia ❤❤
What was a '62 Holden doing in '61?
Back then no one can control the wildfire
2:07 Wooroloo fires: allow me to introduce myself.