Last Sunday morning very early there was a lot of radio traffic over the Bushfires NT network about what seemed to be a small wildfire at Berry Springs. Knowing the area and all the gamba grass in that country it was no real surprise to have that small wildfire become a major event with the Territory Wildlife Park and Berry Springs Nature Park evacuated and closed, both being downwind of the fire and under potential threat.

St John volunteers were there, albeit in different uniforms. Sue-Ellen Skinner of Humpty Doo Division was there as crew on the Lambells Lagoon Medium Attack Vehicle and later on traffic control at the Cox Peninsular & Hopewell Roads junction.

I had gone along with my camera for the opportunity to take photos without having to worry about fire fighting – big mistake. I ended up running a drip torch and on the back of a Grass Fire Unit (GFU) manning a fire hose for the rest of the day, at wildfires south of Batchelor on Monday, back there Tuesday for the mop up and currently have a GFU parked outside my back door.

Article by Frank Dunstan