Fleeing Callignee by Rebekah Jennings - © Copyright (any book recommendations txt) 📕

Mandy

Mandy leaned her head through the office door, “Glenda?” she called.

Glenda twisted in her black leather swivel chair, the office phone to her ear, her finger stabbing the air as she pointed out the earpiece.

Mandy nodded in response, “Right,” she answered taking a step back.

She rested her body against the wall and did her best not to listen in on her boss’s conversation. Mandy shuffled her weight from one leg to the other, rocking the seconds by. Come on, hurry up!

she thought.

She heard Glenda’s large throaty laugh and she could tell the conversation was winding to a close, edging forward she peeked in again and saw Glenda returning the phone to its cradle.

“What can I do for you?” Glenda’s voice was light and cheerful, Mandy liked her boss.

“Have you been listening to the news today on the radio?”

“Not really.” Concern entered Glenda’s face, “What’s up?”

It was a Saturday, 7 February, 2009 and Mandy didn’t usually work on Saturdays. Neither did her boss, or their team for that matter. They were hosting a training session this evening for prospective foster carers and were running about doing last minute preparations, as the time for commencement loomed.

“They’ve issued a fire warning for Churchill and surrounding areas, Calignee residents included. We’ve chosen not to stay and protect the house.” Glenda picked up on the urgency in Mandy’s voice.

“Sure, sure, no problem. Where are you going to stay?”

“Mums,” Mandy said, edging backwards towards the door.

“We’ll manage, go, go, go,” Glenda shooed Mandy out with her hand.

In moments Mandy was in her car, engine running. Her pounding heart challenged her need for steady concentration, as she reversed her car and negotiated the car park to exit.

Melbourne had been dry, consistently so for some years now. Preceding summers, like this one, were hot; scorching in fact, with temperatures in the mid forties, Celsius that is, for several days at a time; and the rain fall was well below expected average for months on end.

With such optimal conditions (temperature, uncleared bush and lack of water), Victorians were led to believe the risk of bushfire was enormous; and of course it was. So Rick, Mandy’s husband, was shocked, this summer in 2009, to find that most of the Victoria’s raging, wild bushfires had been deliberately lit or were caused by falling power lines.

There were uncontrolled fires all over the state. Kinglake, Marysville, Beechworth, Bendigo, Redesdale, Bunyip State Park, West Gippsland, Dandenong Ranges, Horsham, Coleraine and Weerite. That was not all.

Callignee sat 21 kilometres (13 miles) from Traralgon in Gippsland’s west. Mandy worked in Morwell. It’d take her thirty seven minutes to get home. It was only a warning so she needn’t panic, but Mandy couldn’t stop thinking of her kids and the cats. She and Rick had discussed relocating both to her mother’s if the fires got too bad. Up until today though, their property had been safe with no fires in the local areas.

3AW had been monitoring the states fires since the beginning of February. The West Gippsland fires started today, around one-thirty in the afternoon, in a pine plantation about one kilometre from Churchill; and within thirty minutes it had spread to the south-east, putting Hazelwood South, Jeeralang and Budgeree East at risk. It was now five-thirty and the fires were approaching Woodside and Yarram along south Gippsland’s coast.

A cool change had been predicted to hit anytime, which would bring with it south-westerly winds and it was feared that towns sitting in its path would be wiped out.

Mandy dialled her husband’s number illegally as she drove, “Hi. Have you been listening to the radio?”

“Yep, what are...?”

“Hello?” Mandy could only hear crackling. “I can’t hear you,” she said.

“What...ha...de...”

“You’re breaking up. Look, I’m heading home now,” she said. “I’m following our plan. The stuff we packed in the car is fine and I’ll be phoning the kids in a moment so they can get the cats into their...,” Mandy heard nothing. “Are you there?” still nothing,” Rick? Shit.”

Mandy noted two bars on her cell phone indicating service. It must be Rick’s phone she thought. As she dialled home, she saw smoke billowing in the distance, clear blue skies obstructed from view.

“Hello, Steph?”

“Hi.”

“Listen, I’m on my way home. I’m about twenty minutes away. We need to leave the house so get the cats into their travellers and wait for me out front. Both of you, ok?”

“Is the fire coming?” Steph asked, her voice urgent. Why else would I be calling Mandy thought?

“Yes, make sure Toby’s ready too.”

Mandy was scared. The traffic was good, as it always was in rural Gippsland. Mandy made it home in record time, she did speed a little.

The kids were waiting out the front with the cats as planned, Steph’s brown hair blowing all about. The wind must be fierce, Mandy thought, looking up at surrounding trees. She pulled up next to them and opened her door in one movement. Smoke filled the air.

“Look Mum.” Toby pointed behind her. She turned and looked into the orange, smoke filled sky. Red embers could be seen heading in their direction through the fire wind. Smoke billowed throughout the sky over the Strzelecki Ranges and the air was hot.

“We have to go now, come on. Get the cats,” Mandy directed.

Steph opened the back of their Commodore station wagon and placed little Lilly inside. Mandy collected Terror who was meowing his disgust. “It’s okay mate. Are you telling Mum all about it,” Mandy cooed.

Steph and Toby managed the other two cats. The smoke was getting thicker and Mandy’s eyes were watering. Toby coughed.

Mandy looked back toward the direction of the fire, “Quick, get in the car,” she urged and got in quickly herself.

Mandy gunned the engine and heading away from their property. She looked behind her to the back seat. Steph and Toby were both crying and several of the cats were mewling too. She felt she were in a surreal nightmare.

Toby was reassuring the cats, “It’s okay guys, don’t worry, it’s okay,” he repeated over and over, tears rolling down his cheeks as he twisted his body to see into the back. As they drove embers began blowing past their car and several spot fires erupted. Mandy tears could be contained no longer.

We shouldn’t have worked today

, Mandy thought. She was relieved Rick wasn’t at home but she worried now for her two kids that she wouldn’t get them out alive.

Her foot planted firmly on the accelerator, she was driving dangerously fast. All about them was thick smoke. So much for the warning, it should have come earlier. Mandy and Rick knew the risk but still somehow she didn’t think this would happen to them.

As she drove on, it seemed to her she was driving into the fire rather than away from it. She slowed the car and looked behind her, Toby and Steph did the same.

“It’s surrounding us,” Toby yelled. “Mum, I don’t wanna be burned.

“Shh... It’s okay Toby,” Mandy soothed as tears poured from her own eyes.

She didn’t know what to do.

“I think the fire in front of us has been lit by the embers overhead. It’s best if we drive through the fire up front, it won’t be very big,” Mandy reassured.

“Please Mum, I don’t want to drive through the fire,” Steph pleaded.

“Me neither,” Toby was bawling.

Mandy saw the fire behind them closing in. The heat in the car was unbearable. She had to do something. She slammed her foot on the accelerator and headed at enormous speed toward the fire in front. Smoke was all around them and Mandy couldn’t see more than a few metres ahead now. The fire could be seen only as orange shading through the plumes of smoke.

It didn’t seem to matter how fast Mandy travelled, the fire behind was continuing to gain ground. The steering wheel pulled violently to the left and Mandy realised one of the car tyres had blown.

Gaining control of the steering, the car now rocked over the damaged wheel, clunking and struggling. The kids were screaming now and so was Mandy. She stopped the car and turned around in her seat, fitting herself between the two front seats as best she could.

She grabbed tight both her children as they all huddled together, screaming and crying. She rubbed their backs, “I love you. I love you both so much. You are my special angels and I’ve always been so proud of you both,” Mandy soothed. Her skin was so hot now and she was gasping for air. Toby went limp in Mandy’s arms and she thought how much better it would be for all of them if they passed out first.

“No ho ho,” Steph bawled. Mandy rubbed Steph’s back furiously as she too found herself dizzying. Blackness enveloped her as she struggled to get air into her lungs and she thanked god, who she hadn’t believed in most of her life, for allowing her to pass out and consciously escape the feeling of being burned alive.

RICK

Rick, tried in vain to get though to Mandy on his mobile phone. He was working in Narre Warren throughout that Saturday, cash in hand. When Mandy had phoned him and he couldn’t make out much of what she’d been saying to him, he began furiously packing his tools away. He wasn’t going to bother ringing Jerrod to let him know he’d be leaving early, he could explain that later.

The traffic was hectic driving out of Narre Warren but he soon found himself on the freeway heading outbound toward rural Victoria. As he approached Pakenham, the last semi rural town, having passed two of its three exits, he noted bright yellow lights in the distance. Witch hats had been set up as he approached the third exit. They began narrowing the traffic and forcing it to exit. The freeway was blocked.

“Shit,” Rick yelled as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. The road was blocked. There was no entry back to Gippsland. Rick pulled his car over to the shoulder. He listened intently to 3AW commentating the Gippsland fires, he now knew the fires were approaching Callignee. He feared strongly for the safety of his wife and kids. He wondered whether there might be another way through. Exiting his car quickly, he approached the road crew who were manning the blockade.

“Is there any other way through?” he supplicated.

“No mate, sorry. We can’t allow any entry to Gippsland now. You’ll find all roads leading in blocked.”

Rick rubbed his hands furiously through his hair as though it helped him think.

“My wife and kids are still there, in Callignee,” he urged frantically.

“They issued a warning for that area about half an hour ago, has your wife been listening to the radio?”

“Yes, yes. But I can’t get hold of her now. There’s no answer on her mobile.”

“I’m sorry you’ll just have to wait. Have you got somewhere to go?”

Rick didn’t answer, he stormed back to his van, what could he do? Where would he go now? What if his family were killed in the fire? He couldn’t deal