Janice and Bud,

Thank you for thinking of us.

Australia is a place where bushfires happen regularly. It's partly because of our gum trees (probably better known as eucalyptus trees). They are flame friendly and, in some cases, fire even helps them regenerate. It's also partly because of our climate. While there have been catastrophes from time to time, we've always managed to cope with this aspect of Australian life.

Now it is different, though. We have never experienced anything like what's happening right at the moment. Fires are raging uncontrollably throughout the country and our scientists are all agreeing that it is a consequence of the changing climate. There are many long term studies to show that this is true.

My home was just on 2-3 kilometres away from a local bushfire a few days ago. We were assigned a "get ready to leave" status but they managed to bring the fire under control and so we didn't have to go in the end. The local temperature that day was just on 43C (110F).

The below map will give some idea as to what's happening.

http://google.org/crisismap/australia

Thank you again,
Noel

MY SONGS...
Audiophile BIAB 2025