Don Garlick, circa 1984
On a very hot Wednesday in February 1983, 19-year-old Don Garlick had finished work for the day in Heatherdale, and as he was getting into his car he glanced up at the hills and saw a billow of smoke.
As a volunteer with Lilydale Fire Brigade, Don knew he needed to make his way to the station to find out what was going on.
After collecting his gear, Don recalled he was assigned to a tanker (with fellow Lilydale fireys Rick Hauck and Ross Blair) that had recently arrived from Glenburn Fire Brigade .
“We were dispatched to a fire which had broken out in the Warburton area. When we mustered at Millgrove, we were tasked with scouting the fire and checking its path,” Don said.
“Dusk was falling as we arrived in Powelltown, making the fire clearly visible from afar. As we moved closer, it became increasingly obvious there was trouble ahead.
“When we attempted to radio back to Millgrove crews, there was no response as we were out of radio range.”
The crew turned around to travel back within range, stopping on the way to put out spot fires.
“I remember being on the back of the truck operating the pump, while Rick and Scott were on the ground with hoses in their hands.”
Don’s recollection of what happened next will never leave him.
“It suddenly became eerily quiet, as a windstorm ripped down from the hills. Before we really knew what was happening, we found ourselves in the middle of a firestorm with balls of fire raining down like huge hailstones.
“Ross and Rick ran to the truck and as we took off, they were pulling the hoses back in after them.”
The crew drove ahead of the fire back into Powelltown, where they started evacuating houses on the outskirts of town.
“At one of the houses, we bundled an old lady into a car with her pets. I remember the phone ringing as I was walking through the house.
“It was the woman’s daughter. I told her we were getting her out because of the fire.”
Not long after the homes were evacuated, the fast-moving fire caught up to the Glenburn tanker, leaving the crew only a few moments to make it to the open ground of the nearby Forests Commission office, where they took cover.
“We had a small patch of lawn on the same side the fire was coming from, and bushland surrounded the rest of the area.”
Don and the crew had just enough time to climb under the tanker with a couple of hoses for protection.
“We just used the hoses to keep the worst of the fire off us, as the fire jumped over the top and moved around us. Today, this is what is called a burnover.
“We fared all right because of the clearing, being able to keep ourselves prone on the gravel and, of course, having the hoses.
“The tanker was small, made almost entirely of steel and didn’t have much to burn. I don’t recall the tanker sustaining any damage.”
When the fire had passed and the crew miraculously found themselves unharmed, they continued towards the township to help local residents.
“We found most of the townspeople huddled in the centre of the footy oval, dazed and scared.
“I remember being asked how much had been destroyed by the fire and not being able to tell them, because we simply didn’t yet know the level of destruction.”
It was later determined that 44,500 hectares were impacted and 30 houses in the Warburton area were destroyed by fire.
“We spent the rest of the night putting out small spot fires, mainly in public buildings like the school and sawmill.
“Eventually we caught a couple of hours sleep in the footy club change rooms. We were woken by the sound of naval recruits being taught how to make a fire break.”
The crew of Glenburn tanker were relieved around lunchtime the next day and had to figure out how to get back home.
“We didn’t see anyone from Lilydale brigade, so we started walking and hitched a ride on an army truck.
“When we finally got back to the Lilydale station, we received a warm welcome as we had originally been thought lost.”
As a CFA volunteer since 1978 (not including a 10-year hiatus), and current Captain of Wendouree Fire Brigade, Ash Wednesday was the first major incident Don attended, but it certainly wasn’t the last.
This Thursday, 16 February 2023 will mark the 40-year anniversary of Ash Wednesday.
You can watch the Ash Wednesday 40th Anniversary Commemorative Event on CFA's YouTube channel.
Anniversaries of significant events such as the Ash Wednesday fires can bring up difficult memories and feelings including sadness, fear and grief.
In the weeks leading up to Ash Wednesday, and in the days after, if you find yourself experiencing strong emotions, we recommend that you contact Lifeline on 131114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 which offer support services nationwide.
CFA members and their families can contact the CFA Wellbeing Support Line on 1300 795 711 for free, confidential 24/7 access to psychologists, counsellors, peers and chaplains.