Big thank you to all you great folk
Big thank you to all you great folk that sent messages, offered to even bring me coffee and offered help.
Makes me very proud at becoming an Australian citizen and being part of the WA family.
I saw people bond and help and fight fires shoulder to shoulder this weekend. Some Aussie true blue 100 year old families, others asian just arrived, Poms in shorts, Eastern Europeans who could hardly speak english, but were there to help.
It's a great community we have and when the chips are down, the tuff stand to help the weak.
Thank you
Tony Halliday & Family.
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
roberta
Posts: 2773
Date Joined: 08/07/08
Tony thats we are
called the lucky country, fair go for everybody, fantastic to see eveybody get in help each other, glad you and your family are ok, especially the special babies the horses, so sad to see some horses didn't make it Tony, feel for the people that lost much loved pets, honestly don;t know how I would have faired put in your position, took guts my man, take care
Ginger Tablets Rock
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
not guts, just stubborn
not guts, just stubborn Scottish genes with a bit of a Neanderthal splice in the DNA
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
scottland
Posts: 3038
Date Joined: 10/05/10
thats good that your okay tony
really good news
i support two teams eagles and whoever is playing the dockers
joe amato
Posts: 731
Date Joined: 21/12/08
happy your ok
happy your ok tony and pulled through m8 and also shows our multicultral countrys people will help eachother especially in times of need,
Andy Mac
Posts: 4778
Date Joined: 03/02/06
Good to hear Tony
Glad you are safe, I had no idea you were caught up in the fires.
Cheers
Andy Mac (Fishwrecked Reeltime Editor & Forum Moderator)
Youngest member of the Fishwrecked Old Farts Club
abeldog
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 12/04/10
Great Story
Highlighting what a wonderful diverse weave that bonds our Aussie Fabric.
It all about standing beside our mates when the chips are down.
Not just Fair Weather Friends.
"People See Things As They Are & Ask Why???
We Can All Dream of Things That Never Were and Ask Why Not!!"( RK )
Three Lions
Posts: 152
Date Joined: 15/08/07
It was intersting to see on
It was intersting to see on the TV that most of the people interviewed were pommy.
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18026
Date Joined: 11/03/08
going to be some time before
going to be some time before things get back to normal around the fire affected areas, its good to see there are so many generous people around willing to help others in times of need.
good to hear things are all good on your home front Tony.
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
thanks guys, just found my
thanks guys,
just found my laptop charger this morning in the boot of the car under saddle clothes and fishing gear..lol
Still got the ute packed with stuff, only unpacked the Jeep last night and back seat of the Ford.... You just grab what you can and what’s important, but you forget where the hell it has been put afterwards. We the lucky ones, still got our lives, homes and pets.
Many others are standing in what they got left.
I am now on a mission ( well not quiet from God, but Blues Brother Style...) to find out why the bloody hell we don't have large scale aerial water bombers here in Ozz.
They not used for Oct to April in Canada and most of northern Europe as it's winter there and under snow, so fires don't burn then!!!! So why can't we lease them from November to end of March, our high fire seasons for Australia. Those DC10 & converted 727 & 747 have the range to fly direct to us in 24hrs!
Keep them at Air force bases and train up our air force pilots to use them. We not at war, so lets use Air force pilots to their best, and low altitude work will do their skills a world of good!
but hey I'm just an arrogant rocket scientist that’s worked it out, how can mere polies, FESA boss's and CALM heads' of staff be as clever hey...
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
bradz
Posts: 693
Date Joined: 29/10/07
Water Bombers
I hear ya Tony.
It will all come down to money unfortunately.
But I gotta admit, one accurate low pass from a big ass water bomber would knock the stuffing out of the fire front. It would at the very least give the ground crews a fantastic level of pre-emptive capacity.
I did then the best that I knew how. When I knew better, I did better.
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
one fire @ 100 homes damaged
one fire @ 100 homes damaged = $100million loss to the community / insurance industry. plus cost of the four days of fire fighting will be in the millions too, plus infrastructure down is estimated at $50m.
So Black Sunday cost us over $150m so far.
Rental of one massive water bomber is $25m a year with running costs, fuel and crew.
We have on average these days 4 to 5 very bad fires across Australia every year in the bad fire season, so with losses counting nealry upto a half a billion dollars, I think we can afford two such planes in Australia! one at Bullsbrook Pearce base and one at Sydney Richmond base or Glenbrook in the Blue mountains.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Saturday_bushfires we forget Black Saturday 2009 to fast, cost on that alone was $5Bn in losses and $35Bn to prevent it happing again! http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?rid=37413847
So whats a $50m price tag when it's going to cost billions to prevent the fires, Even buying our own 20ton fixed wing water bombers makes sense.
We buying billions of dollars of war ships / tanks / planes for wars we may never fight, yet every year we fight fire and loose!
not a rocket science maths puzzle
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
Dicko
Posts: 219
Date Joined: 07/10/10
Not just the money
Not just the money either I reckon Tony, but I would have thought saving innocent lives would be worth it??
nana nana nana nana fishing!!!
abeldog
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 12/04/10
With You
100% on this one Tony.
If only Governments learn't to share each others safety resources ie Water Bombers it would go a long way to solving some of the problems we face.
"People See Things As They Are & Ask Why???
We Can All Dream of Things That Never Were and Ask Why Not!!"( RK )
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
ahhh the joys of a federation
ahhh the joys of a federation vs a united country ( republic).
Far too much power in the states hands and different standards, licenses etc,,, don't get me started on that one!
They can't even agree on the standard side arm of the police around the country, let alone fire fighting gear!
We need a good dictator for a few years to sort this cr@p out. Lock up all the state Premiers and their cronies, get a standard civil defense system around all Australia for all weather and natural disasters etc, one police force and set of laws for the whole country, from car licenses to air standards to even std electrician tickets, axle loading on trucks… shall I go on…lol
ps, sent off letters to my local MP, Federal and State, plus to CALM. FESA etc for explanation on the water bombers. Don't expect a reply soon.... they never do.
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
One Eyed Phil
Posts: 45
Date Joined: 27/01/09
What a load of...
This has go to be the biggest load of reason, logic and sense I have heard in a long time!
There has to be something wrong with it!!
Surely our leaders have considered all this and reached aproper, accurate and viable conclusion that benefits all the people in this country?
Oh, Sorry, I forgot.
they are politicians!!!
Tony Halliday
Posts: 2500
Date Joined: 14/06/07
got a comment from a Fesa
got a comment from a Fesa volenteer that some people at the top just won't spend money on protection if there is the risk it won't be used that tax year. Funny how we buy cars with air bags we hope to never use, but can't get water bombers unless we have to use them! WTF.
oh and as for pollie logic and big wigs in FESA & CALM, many are stuck in their little think tanks and refuse to look out side Australia as they keep saying " We have unique condtions here" BULLSH!T fire is fire!
Tony Halliday: ~Meals on Reels ~
It takes a strong fish to swim against the current. Even a dead one can float with it
"It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC)
"In a mad world only the mad are sane." Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998)
fishintruckie
Posts: 198
Date Joined: 22/07/08
Pollies are voted in by the
Pollies are voted in by the people to do their best for the people (common good) but unless there is something in it for themselves they dont want to know. Ask a pollie if we need a "super water bomber" to fight fires in Australia then sit back and listen to the excuses one after the other. Ask about all the hard earned tax payer dollars they send to other countries where most of the pollies are so corrupt its beyond a joke and most of the money Australia gives their countries ends up in pollies pockets and our pollies will tell you its money well spent to help people that are less fortunate than us. I personally have donated $5k each to both the Carnarvon and the Queensland floods for no other reason than its what we aussies do, help each other when we are down, its the least I can do, I dont do it for thanks or to big note myself, hell not even the "beloved ball and chain" knows I gave away 10k! Now we are going to get taxed to death to help our own instead of cutting back on foreign aid to countries than would never lift a finger to help us, ever. Do we need a couple of really big water bombers? Bloody oath we do! Will we get them? Not in my lifetime! Will our government continue to throw money at countries that dont deserve it because they wont help their own? Too right they will! Geez I am so proud to be an Aussie!!
Tony I am glad and happy for you and your family that came out of the fires relatively unscathed and the coffee offer still stands, or a beer? My heart goes out to those who lost their homes in Rolystone and Kelmscott. Lets hope the government helps them in some way.