A big thanks all round to the Firies and all who battled recent North Coast bush fires

First from the Labor MP for Page, Janelle Saffin in the House of Representatives on 19 October 2009, courtesy of Open Australia:

I would like to pay tribute in this House to firefighters from four agencies who have been working overtime to control bushfires in my federal electorate of Page, and the neighbouring electorates of Cowper and Richmond, since late last week. It is hard not to mention neighbouring electorates because the firefighters and the fires do not know the boundaries; they have been working over them all. Tragically, a retained Kingscliff fire brigade firefighter, Andrew 'Packy' Turnbull, died after battling a grass fire at Fingal Head last Friday night. Mr Turnbull leaves behind five children and two stepchildren. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and many friends in the Tweed shire.

Firefighting crews from New South Wales Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forest New South Wales and New South Wales Fire Brigades have been working long shifts to battle the Centre Road fire near Brooms Head village on the Clarence Coast. I pay tribute to Superintendent David Cook, manager of Far North Coast team New South Wales Rural Fire Service. Last Thursday night this fight came very close to the popular Brooms Head Caravan Park, and now has burnt out 10,000 hectares of Yuraygir National Park towards Clarence Peak, a local landmark in the area. Residents at 'the Broom', Wooloweyah, where my adviser lives, Angourie, Sandon, Minnie Water, Wooli, Diggers Camp and Pillar Valley were on high alert over the weekend, but a massive effort by firefighters on the ground and from the air was helped by favourable winds and cooler temperatures. The danger is far from over as little rain has fallen. (Time expired)

Then from a longtime Brooms Head resident this letter to the editor in The Daily Examiner on 20 October 2009:

Thanks firies

As a Brooms Head resident I would like to express appreciation for the magnificent work of the local Clarence Valley and outside brigades in saving the village from what appeared to be likely destruction - particularly on Wednesday afternoon and night last week.
The fire was bearing down on the village, fanned by an appalling hot north-west wind. A terrible situation.
Without the selfless work of the brigades, through the afternoon and right through the night many houses would have been lost.
Then, having saved the Brooms Head village, they continued to work for days to stop the fire spreading north to Wooloweyah and Angourie, as it certainly would have done.
Many thanks indeed.

PAUL WITZIG,
Brooms Head.

Finally, from the good folk at Gurranang and Banyabba in the 23 October issue of the same newspaper:

Bushfires

THE residents of Gurranang and Banyabba, being around 35km north of Grafton on the Summer-land Way, would like to publicly thank members of the local Rural Fire Service and the State Forests for their courage and valuable assistance in the bushfire last Wednesday.
Most of us had a fire truck at our homes to help us defend our homes, where unpredictable and high winds quickly spread the fire throughout the area.
The volunteers in the Rural Fire Service deserve the full support of the community and hopefully many more will join up to maintain this priceless service.
Thanks once again.

BEV PATTENDEN,
BanYabba.