Family finds welcome amongst ashes

Erin Wijeratne with her two children, Eli and Marley.

By Danielle Kutchel

It’s community that makes a town – and that’s exactly what Erin Wijeratne and her family have found since they moved to Tonimbuk.

The family moved to the area in October 2018, just months before the devastating March bushfires ravaged the area.

Chasing a tree change for their young children, the family thought carefully about their decision prior to building, and Mrs Wijeratne says they were “very well aware” of what might happen if a fire took hold in Bunyip State Park.

But life got in the way of those vital preparations.

“We had a pan to organise a bushfire plan of what we would do in the event of a fire – but we hadn’t got around to it,” she admits.

Then the flames hit.

“It was pretty scary, I’d never been through a big bushfire like that,” she said.

“It was a bit confronting and we didn’t really know many people in the area at the time.”

With Mrs Wijeratne heavily pregnant and with a toddler in tow, the decision to evacuate was an easy one to make.

“I wasn’t going to risk it,” she said.

The family worked off the Vic Emergency app and a Facebook Messenger group set up by residents to identify where the fire was moving – their first taste of how the locals worked together to beat the horror.

When they returned home, they found that although they had lost a shed and all their fencing, the house itself was still OK.

Five weeks later, little Marley was born – a ray of light amidst the blackened landscape.

Since then, the family has thrown itself into the community as the rebuilding got underway.

They are regulars at the weekly community dinners at Tonimbuk Hall, and Mrs Wijeratne says the other mums in the community have been a much-needed support as she raises her young children.

“It’s really like a second family almost. It’s really nice knowing you’ve got people around who will help if you need it.”

She now feels better prepared for when fire strikes again and she and her husband have a solid bushfire plan for next time.

The event hasn’t tainted their dreams and they plan to remain in Tonimbuk so the kids can “grow up with bush around them”.

“It’s an amazing area, the best area to ever live in,” Mrs Wijeratne said.